Familiar
by Hitora
Summary: The Digidestined have been separated, and they don't even realize it... R/R
1. Haunting Dreams

This is my first fanfic, so, I don't know if it's good or it sucks, so let me know. (But not too harshly okay..?) I've read a lot of fics, and I thought I tried to write one myself. This fic has some action, mystery, and romance to it, so you're warned. This part's sort of short, but they get longer and more interesting. Hope you enjoy!  
  
Disclaimer : I don't own Digimon so don't come sueing me =)  
  
Note: 'thoughts'  
"talking"  
  
  
FAMILIAR  
by Hitora  
  
Part One  
Haunting Dreams  
  
'Why does my life feels like it's missing something? Like there's giant hole in my soul waiting to be filled. Faces, so many faces. I don't know any of them, yet, I feel like I should. Who are these strangers whose identities are flashing quickly through my mind? Who are they? Howcome there's an odd, familiar feeling eminating from each? Colors. I see colors in all directions, blurring as if I'm passing through them at an incredible speed. I don't feel any fear, like I have done it before.. A burst of white light. Now I begin to fear. I see shadows falling away from sight and disappearing from my view. Screams. Yelling. Calling. I call back, but I hear no names as I speak. I only hear them calling out to me. Calling out my name. Their silent voices seem to fade as I draw farther away, even though I cannot hear them. A light... A light opens before me and I sink away. Alone. All the colors disappear into an empty whiteness and I float motionless. Alone. The faces I do not know and the voices I do not hear are gone. Who are you? Who are you...?'  
  
Matt's eyes open slowly. His vision blurred at first, descending gradually back into reality, only to face a quiet and empty room's ceiling above him. He sighs and closes his eyes. Rising his arm to rest on his forehead, he murmurs: "That dream again..."   
  
Unable to sleep, Yamato rises out of his bed and walks to a corner of his room. A small table stands there, it's where he kept his phone.  
  
"Yeah?" a voice answers from the other side.  
  
"Hey Tai. It's Matt." he replies. "Did you have that dream again?"   
  
"Yeah. You too?"  
  
"Yeah."   
  
"It's been like over a week now right? Sheesh, we have some pretty screwed up heads huh?" Tai remarked sarcasticly.  
  
"Do you think it means anything?" Matt asked, his voice full of fatigue and wonder to the meaning of the dreams. Over the phone, he hears Tai sigh.  
  
"Nah, I don't think so, they'll probably pass soon. Look man, let's just get some sleep okay? We got school tomorrow." Tai reminded.   
  
"Right. Night Tai,"   
  
"Good night man," click 'Silent voices and unseen faces.... these dreams happen too often to not mean anything. But what?'  
  
"Come on Tai! You're gonna be late!"   
  
"I HEAR YA! I'M COMING ALL RIGHT!" Tai rushes out of his room. In the hallway, he sees the girl who yelled for him. It's his little sister, Hikari or aka Kari. She was about twelve years old with short, brown hair that was clipped to one side and she had reddish brown eyes. She wore her school uniform and was just putting on her shoes. Tai himself was about sixteen with ruffled brown hair and dark brown eyes.   
  
"About time. Do you really expect to let Matt wait so much?" she reminded.  
  
"Okay, okay, I get it! Let's go!" Tai said impatient to his sister's lecturing.   
  
"Bye Mom!" Tai and Kari both yell out just as they run through the door.   
  
"Hey Matt!"   
  
A blonde haired boy with light blue eyes turns back to him running up the street trying to catch up to him. He was sixteen too and they were in the same class. "Hey Tai," he replies, but not as enthusiactically.   
  
"You always have to act like that man? Even to your best friend?" Tai remarks teasingly.  
  
"G-Good morning Matt," Hikari greeted shyly.  
  
"Hey Kari." he said to her with a gentle smile.  
  
Hikari nearly fainted. To have him say her name and smile at her was like a beautiful dream come true. Her face became hot and red and all could do was smile back at him. Tai looked over at her with a strange, confused gaze.  
  
"Hmph. You're late again." Matt reminded turning back towards Tai.  
  
"Urghhh... not you too." Tai whined. "I can't help it! I'm a late starter you know."  
  
Kari giggled. "I suppose it's better late than never." she remarked.  
  
"Hey, shouldn't you be getting to your school?" Tai reminded annoyed.   
  
"All right!" she said agitated. She really didn't want to go just yet. Well, if it was up to her she would never leave Matt's side. But she had to face the fact that she did go to a different school. 'Well, I'll get to see him on the way home!' she thought optismically. She began to run in the direction of her school. "See you on the way home Tai! Matt!" she called, waving back. 'I just can't wait!'  
  
Tai and Matt contiuned on their own way to school. "Hmph. I don't even know how you can get here on time with all those dreams waking you in the middle of the night." Tai said.   
  
"About that, do you really think they'll pass? What if the dreams are trying to tell us something important?" Matt asked back worried.  
  
"Geez Matt, when did you become all spiritual?"   
  
"I was just wondering! Doesn't it bother you at all?!" Matt yelled.  
  
"Yeah, but it'll pass. Dreams are just dreams. They can't hurt us when we're awake!" Tai said with a laugh.  
  
"I suppose, for once, you're right." Matt agreed.  
  
"Huh? What's that suppose to mean?" Tai asked defensively.  
  
"Nothing." Matt replied in a teasing tone. Tai was unable to speak back because they had just arrived up to the school doors.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	2. The Mysterious Boy

This is the next part/ chapter or whatever you want to call it. Daisuke's not treated too kindly in this one, so if you're a Daisuke fan, sorry (but it isn't really that bad I swear! I just don't want to step on anyone's toes you know?) I know the first was really short, so I was in a hurry to load up this one. I hope you didn't get bored with the first one and decided to forget about the rest of my fanfic... Well, if you're reading this, then you probably didn't so I should be really glad and grateful and.... I'll be quiet now. ^-^0   
Hope you enjoy! Please R+R!  
  
Disclaimer: Don't own Digimon. Don't sue.  
  
Notes :'thoughts'  
"talking"  
change of background   
  
  
FAMILIAR  
by Hitora  
  
Part Two  
The Mysterious Boy  
  
  
  
Lunch time. Kari and her friend, Miyako sat together outside, as they always did, eating their lunches. Miyako was maybe a year older than she was. She had light brown eyes behind some glasses and long, straight lavender hair. She was a nice, very energetic person and fun to talk to. Her main conversation topic were usually boys. She especially talked about one boy with Kari.   
  
"SOO, did you see him this morning?" she asked, anxious for her answer.  
  
Kari bent over her lunch in her lap and turned a bright red. "Uh, yeah." she replied with a little hesitation.  
  
"AW! Don't be so shy! I know you love him." Miyako reminded. "I can't blame you either, he's so cool! He's absolutely gorgeous, smart, mature, and talented, you have good taste!" Miyako complimented. "You're even more lucky that he's your older brother's best friend too, which means you can see and talk with him almost every day!"  
  
"I suppose. But, I can barely say anything to him without blushing so much. He probably just sees me as Tai's dorky younger sister."   
  
"Yeah right! There's a possibility he can like you too you know! Don't give up hope!" Miyako reminded. Enter bright sparkling background "Yeahhh...Maybe one day, he'll confess he loves you with all his heart and wants to be with you forever, but was too shy to admit it. Then, you confess your love to him. He smiles with the most beautiful of smiles, and kisses you with the most sweetest of kisses, then carries you off into the sunset...." Miyako sighed, pleasantly blushing into her romantic world. Kari couldn't help but get caught up in the vision as well. She was all smiley and giddy as Miyako was just imagining all that she described.  
  
"KAAARRRIIII!!!!" a voice called, that interrupted their fantasy. They both turned to where they heard the voice came from, groaning from having to leave their bright little world.   
  
"Oh great. It's Daisuke." Miyako said as if his name was a curse.   
  
A boy that was the same age as Kari came running towards them. He had spikey brown hair and dark brown eyes. He reminded Kari a lot of her older brother, look-wise. But, she still didn't like him that much. He always stalked her around and bothered her by asking her out. She hastily rose up from her seat as he drew closer.  
  
"Uh, I just remembered I have to go help the teacher with something!" she said and dashed away as quickly as she could. Leaving Miyako staring dumbfounded, (and a little jealous that she wasn't as quick) to her retreat.  
  
Kari ran and turned to hide behind a red brick wall. She laid against it with a sigh of relief. "Urgh, when is Daisuke going to get the picture that I don't like him." she mumbled annoyed. "This is getting tiring..."  
  
"KAARRIII! Hey where'd you go?!" she heard. She knew right away whose voice it was, and it was someone she did not want to deal with.   
  
'He sounds close, I better keep moving!' Kari thought and turned to run off. But suddenly slammed into something and fell back. 'Urghhh.. what was that?' Holding her head from the unexpected collision, she looked up to see what it was that she had bumped into. Or rather, who. His form was blurry at first, probably still dizzy from when she bumped into him, but as her vision began to clear she saw a slowly recognized the form that stood before her. "Matt?" Kari could hardly believe it and blinked stunned. But, after sitting on the ground staring up at him for a minute, she saw his form fade away to another boy. He was the same age as she was and he had short blonde hair and the same blue eyes that Matt did. He stood in the same school uniform that the boys wore that went to her school, but Kari had never seen him around before. She was lost for words and could only blink with shock. He became the first one to break the silence between the them.  
  
"You okay?" he asked in an even, almost unfeeling voice.  
  
"Uh, um, ye-yeah. S-sorry for crashing into you like that." she said, slowly rising to her feet.   
  
"It's okay. I wasn't hurt." he said in the same calm tone. It made her a little uncomfortable. "Were you hurt?" he asked.  
  
"N-Nope! I'm fine!" she said with an uneasy smile.  
  
"Okay then," Assured no harm was done, he silently turned away and walked off in the other direction.   
  
"Wai-" but, he was out of sight before she could finish. She stood alone with an unsettling curiousity, staring towards the empty place where he once was. 'Who was that boy?'   
  
"Hey Kari!" Kari nearly jumped up startled. She turned back behind her towards the friendly voice.  
  
"Oh, Miyako," she sighed relieved.  
  
"Yeah, Daisuke was challenged to another soccer game. You're safe for now girl!" Miyako said with a reassuring smile.  
  
"Oh, good." Kari replied.  
  
"Hm? What's wrong? Did something happen to you?" Miyako asked concerned at Kari's almost frightened expression.   
  
"Uh, yeah. It was nothing!"   
  
"You sure? You looked like you saw a ghost or something."  
  
"I'm okay, really."   
  
"Hmmm... Did you see a cute guy?!" Miyako asked with blazing curiousity.  
  
"Hmph, uh, not really."   
  
"Oh, come on, you're lying! Who was he?!" she asked with a very hyper impatience.  
  
"I-I don't know."  
  
"Huh?"   
  
"I bumped into this guy I haven't seen before. Aw, it's proabably nothing! Let's go finish our lunches huh?" Kari suggested with her usual happy nothing's-the-matter way.   
  
"Okay." Miyako got the message not to pry anymore. She gave in and regrettably decided to ignore the subject.   
  
Kari couldn't wait to get home. Before leaving she waved goodbye to Miyako, then ran as fast as she could to meet with her brother and her beloved Matt. But something in the back of her mind couldn't let go of the boy she saw earlier. She kept wondering who he was and regretted not getting a name. There was something else that bothered her too. The boy seemed to have an odd air about him, like she should know him. 'It's probably because he looks so much like Matt.' she figured and tried to block the thought out of her head.   
  
After running for a few blocks, she came into view of another figure that walked ahead of her. 'Matt!' she thought happily and began to speed up, but as she drew closer she saw their identity didn't match the one she had previously hoped for. 'That's the boy!' she realized. She began to slow down to a walking pace behind him. 'This is my chance to find out who he is! But, I wonder, should I? What if he just ignores me..?' she thought with much hesitation. Moments of intense doubt passed by, but they soon turned to an annoyed frustration at how cowardly she was acting. She clenched her fists and gathered up her courage. 'Hey! This might be my only chance! I could at least get his name,' she thought determined. With a new motivation, she sped up her pace and came to walk right beside him.   
  
"Um, hi!" she greeted with a friendly smile. He just turned to her with an unmoving expression on his face. It made her more nervous than ever.   
  
"Uh, do you remember me? I'm the girl that bumped into you." she reminded, trying to break the uneasy silence.  
  
"I remember you." he replied in his usual tone of voice.  
  
"Oh, uh, you know I didn't really catch your name before you walked off." she said, trying to act as casual as she could, but it was sure diffucult!  
  
He blinked, probably a little surprised at her applying request, yet the expression barely lasted a moment., "I don't believe I caught yours' either." he reminded.   
  
"Oh. Sorry. I'm Hikari Kamiya, but most people just call me Kari." she said. She then began to wait for his reply. He was a little hesitant and let quiet moments absent of his voice pass between them. Kari waited with a agonizing anxiousness for his answer. The few moments felt like a few unbearable years! She kept hoping to herself once he did she can finally leave and be free of the uncomfort she felt.   
  
"My name is Takeru Takaishi." he said at last.  
  
"Takeru?" she repeated making sure she got it right. An unknown force suddenly rushed into her mind and the world soon became lost around her. 'That name...it somehow feels so....familiar.'   
  
"Are you all right?" She gasped startled, breaking away from the overwhelming feeling.   
  
"Uh-uh, yeah. Well, I'll see you at school Takeru!" she said hasitly and continued to run on , hoping to catch up with Matt and Tai. (But, mostly to escape the strange boy's cold presence.)  
  
'Whew, well, glad that's over with!' she thought relieved. She never realized how hot her face was until now. 'Sheesh, I was really nervous!' she chuckled amused. 'But, I wonder what was that feeling I got when he said his name. It was so weird. I wonder why I even wondered what his name was...' Her concentration began to fade towards that question and her mind couldn't help but echo his name. 'Takeru Takaishi,'  
  
Hikari just kept running. But was suddenly stopped by something that stood right ahead of her. Kari gasped back into the real world.   
  
"Huh?" a voice said ahead of her.   
  
Kari blinked her eyes and came face to face with someone's back. She looked up slowly to see who it was she had crashed into.   
  
"Matt?"   
  
"Whoa, what's the hurry Kari?" he remarked.   
  
"Uh-uh," she was lost for words when she unexpectantly came to look up into his mystical blue eyes. The hotness in her face quickly returned.  
  
"Geez Kari, don't you know how to apologize?" another annoying voice replied, which she hated to recognize. She turned her head regrettably to see her spikey haired big brother there to ruin the moment as always.   
  
"Sorry Matt," Kari said turning back to Matt.   
  
"No problem."  
  
They continued on their way to the Kamiya apartment. Tai and Matt always studied after school together at the Kamiya place. Kari was always so happy to have him over. Other than her usual joy though, there was a sense of wonder. She didn't know why, but when she looked up at him she couldn't help but see a strong resemblence to Takeru.   
  
'He looks so much like him. Why am I wondering about him so much...? I'm here with Matt, why should I think about anything else!? But... I wonder if Matt has any brothers or cousins that look like him. Maybe that's why Takeru looks so much like him. '  
  
"Matt, do you have any brothers?" she finally asked.  
  
"Hm? No. If I do, my mom and dad never told me!" he remarked. "Why do you ask Kari?"   
  
"Just wondering!" she said with a shy, cover-up smile.   
  
"Why, you want to be set up Kari?!" Tai snickered with a cruel smile. Kari's face exploded into crimson.   
  
"Y-YEAH RIGHT TAI!" Kari cried out to him totally embarassed. 'How can he say that in front of Matt like that?!' she thought horrified.  
  
"Liar, liar, is there someone else instead?"   
  
"SHUT-UP TAI!"   
  



	3. Gennai's Gifts

Whoa, I didn't really expect people to like my story that much.. Thanks! In this part there's actually Digimon in it, and so not to delay you any further from reading, enjoy the fic!  
  
Disclaimer: Me don't own Digimon. No one come sueing.  
  
Notes: 'thoughts'  
"talking"  
  
  
  
FAMILIAR  
by Hitora  
  
Part Three  
Gennai's Gifts  
  
  
  
"WE'RE HOME!" Kari called out into the apartment, followed by Tai and Matt.   
  
"Well, welcome home!"   
  
"Huh?"   
  
Kari looked up and saw a short, elderly old man sitting at the table in front of the kitchen. His eyes were wrinkled together and only appeared as slits on his aged face. He had a small white ponytail on top of his head with the rest of his head being bald. He had a large white moustashe that formed into points at the ends and he wore it well under a friendly smile. He had on a very stylish black suit.   
  
"Gennai!" she said delighted. Gennai was an old friend of the family and came by for visits once and awhile. He was a kind man with a funny voice and was sort of like a grandpa to Kari and Tai. She ran over to him and gave an enthusiastic hug around the old man's neck. "How are you Gennai?"  
  
"I'm fine my sweet Kari!" he said.  
  
"Hey Gennai!" Tai greeted him with a wave rather than a hug.   
  
"Ah, Tai, Matt, glad you're both here." he said.   
  
"And why's that?" Matt asked curiously.  
  
"Because I have something for all of you!" Gennai said excited, bringing up a paper bag from behind him.  
  
"Presents Gennai?!" Kari asked excited.   
  
"In a way, all right. I choose each one specially for each of you." With saying that he reached into his bag and began to pull out his special gifts for them.  
  
"You have got to kidding me..." Tai replied. He looked down at what the old man gave him. It was a stuffed animal. It was a weird looking thing. It was light pink, round creature with no arms or legs, or body for that matter. It was more like a round pink head with two paper strip-like antenna out of it. It had two round, cute red eyes and the appearence of teeth coming out over its mouth. Around it's well, 'neck' was a black lace that held a strange blue and grey device with a small rectangular blue-green screen in its center. "What's this?"  
  
Matt was surprised he even got a gift, but even more surprised (and a little confused) at what the gift was. Like Tai's it was a creature with only a head. It had two red eyes and brown fur. Out of the top of his head came a curving black horn. It also had the same gray and blue device on a black string around its neck. "Okayy....."  
  
Kari's gift was the biggest of the three. It looked sort of like a round, cute piglet with two bat wing-like ears coming out of its head. It was a light brown color with a white-peachish color coming up half its body. It also had some round adorable blue eyes. Around its neck was a different gadget with a small rectangular black screen on a hand held shape that was black, grey, and pink. "How cute!" Kari exclaimed as she hugged it.  
  
"Hey, old man, what are these things?" Tai asked looking down on it doubtfully.  
  
"His name's Gennai Tai!" Kari reminded.  
  
"Uh, Gennai what are these things anyway?" he asked.  
  
"Hmph, hm, these creatures are called Digimon. They specially belong to you three." Gennai replied with a smile. "The one you got there Tai is called Koromon. Matt, yours' is Tsunomon and Kari, yours' is called Patamon."   
  
"Koromon?" Tai repeated looking at the stange creature in his hands.  
  
"Tsunomon," Matt repeated with mystery. 'Why does this creature have a strange feeling around it?' he wondered.  
  
"Patamon... Hmm, it's cute!" she said.  
  
Gennai smiled sastisfied at his work. "Well, I better get going." he said rising out of his chari. Carefully bringing his hands behind his back, he walked over towards the door. Tai's mother followed him to the exit. As she opened the door for him she looked up towards the three who were watching him leave. "And what do we say to Mr.Gennai for his generous gifts?" she called to them, warning them of their manners.  
  
"Thank you Gennai!" they all said simutaneously. (Kari said hers more gratefully than Tai and Matt)   
  
"Your welcome! I hope you like your gifts!" Gennai called. "Good day Mrs. Kamiya," he said turning to Tai and Kari's mom. "Thank you again for having me."   
  
"Thanks for coming by! Have a good day Mr. Gennai." she replied. With a final bow, the old man toke his leave.  
  
"What was Gennai thinking?" Tai said looking into the funny face of the stuffed Koromon. "Man, how old does he think we are? Ten? Yep, I believe that old guy's finally going senile."  
  
Tai's mom had decided to go to her friend's house for an errand. Matt and Tai had decided to study at the table that stood between the kitchen and living room. They had placed their stuffed animals in the center of the table and their books in front of where they sat.   
  
"Well, it's a nice gesture right Tai?" Matt reminded. "It's sort of cool-looking in a weird sort of way." he said with a descending doubtful tone. "I wonder what these things around their necks are.." Matt lowered down to examine the gray devices.  
  
"I don't know man," Tai began to do the same. He pressed on one of the buttons that was set at the device's side. It beeped and the rectangular screen flipped to another one. "Hey a clock, and its at the right time too." Tai said impressed glancing over at the round clock that hung on the nearby wall. "Well, it has at least one use."   
  
"Yeah, and if someone in my family had a baby or there's a kid's birthday I'm all set with a gift." Matt remarked. Both of them chuckled a little. But Matt's expression shortly turned serious again. He began to stare blankly at the device as it laid in the palm of his hand. "Tai, don't these things feel a little weird?" Matt asked his friend. "Like we should know what they're suppose to be?"   
  
"Huh?" Tai replied confused. "I don't know about you Matt, but other than being a clock, I have no idea what these things are!"   
  
"Hmph. Yeah. Me either."  
  
"Patamon, Patamon," Kari said looking at the four legged creature standing in front of her as she laid on her bed. "Hmm.. I don't usually get stuff animals, but you can be considered my exception. I don't know why, but you feel pretty special." Kari admitted. "You are so cute after all." she said with a big smile. "Huh?" Kari looked closely and noticed that its face began to turn all red. "Wha? Are you one of those color changing toys Patamon!?" she asked giggling. "I wonder how that works," she lifted it up and to look eye to eye to the strange device. It looked too large to an accessory to the toy and it looked as if it could be removed. "Hmm..?" She set the Patamon in her lap and began to finger with the device, trying to find a way to free the device. "Now, let's see...almost there."  
  
Beads of sweat began to form on Patamon's face and its cheeks began to puff out. Suddenly, it couldn't take it anymore. "Hahahaha! I-I can't take it anymore! That tickles!"  
  
"Eh? AAAAHHHHHHHH!"  
  
Kari leapt up out of her bed and fell to the floor. She quickly recovered and crawled backwards until her back rested on the wall of her room. "Wha-What are you?!"  
  
Matt and Tai shot up from the sudden scream that disrupted the once silent room.   
  
"Hey, didn't that come from Kari's room?" Matt asked.  
  
"Kari," Eyes locked on Kari's door in a worried stare, Tai burst up from his chair; causing it to fall back. "KARRIII!" he called rushing to her room. Matt quickly pursued. Tai snatched up the door knob and flung open the door.  
  
"Huh? Gah!" Kari felt the support behind her suddenly disappear and fell back landing to the floor. She looked up to see she laid at Tai's feet.  
  
"Kari! What is it?!" Tai asked hysterically.  
  
"Uh, um," Kari was lost for words to explain her stuffed animals just laughed out loud at her. She climbed back to her feet to stand before him. She whipped her head back to Patamon. It just laid motionless on its side, still on her bed. She looked back to Tai still wide-eyed from the shock. Then, she noticed Matt standing behind him. 'Matt,' she realized.   
  
"What happened Kari?" he asked.  
  
'Oh no, if I tell them what happened Matt will think I'm crazy and Tai will never let me hear the end of it!' she thought worried. "Uh,um, I-I thought I saw something outside the window!" she declared lying.  
  
"Really?" Tai asked with a suspicious look.  
  
"Uh, yeah! But it was probably just my imagination! Sorry to worry both of you! Bye now!" After her hasty explanation she quickly shut her door, leaving a confused Matt and Tai standing in the hallway.  
  
"Man, my sister's losing it." Tai said annoyed. "What's the bid idea freaking me out anyway?!" he screamed while waving his arms in frustation.  
  
"Hmph, you're just the big brother of the year aren't ya?" Matt teased.   
  
"Shut up man," Tai said irritated. "Huh?" he turned around to head back to studying only to see his Koromon at his feet before him. "What the?" He knelt down and picked it up between his hands. "How in the heck did this get over here?"   
  
Matt followed his best friend's gaze to see his Tsunomon lying on the floor behind him as well. Dumbfounded, he knelt over and lifted it off the ground too. "Did you drag these with you as you ran Tai?" he asked.  
  
"No, did you?"   
  
"No. That's weird."   
  
"Heh, you think maybe they felt lonely and followed us?!" Tai asked jokenly.  
  
"Hmph, yeah right."   
  
Kari panted heavily with her back to the door, still trying to recover from the intense moments of nearly having a heart attack and lieing to her brother and Matt . "Whew," she sighed relieved knowing it was over.   
  
"That was close!" a squeaky voice declared. She looked up to see her Patamon flapping its bat ears and hovering in front of her face.   
  
"Urk! Okay, okay, this must be a dream. This must be a dream. That's it! I fell asleep right on my bed! Yes! This is all in my mind!" Kari said mumbling to herself.   
  
"What's a dream?" it asked.   
  
"All a dream! Urgh, why am I not waking up?!" she asked herself desperately.  
  
"Don't be afraid Kari, I'm your friend!" Patamon said happily.  
  
"What are you anyway?"   
  
"I'm Patamon remember? I'm your Digimon!" it said. "I've been waiting so long for you!"   
  
"For me? Wh-why me?" Kari asked back nervously.  
  
"Because, we were meant to! You and I are going to be best friends! Right...?" he asked with hopeful eyes.  
  
"Well," she said doubtful. "you are really nice and I don't think you meant to scare me..."   
  
"I didn't! Honest!"   
  
"Okay! Let's be friends!"   
  
"Yay!" Patamon cried out with delight. He flew and dove right into Kari's arms with joy. "I'm sorry for scaring you!" he said.   
  
"It's okay." Kari said forgiving him.   
  
"Oh!" Patamon then lifted its paw up to her face. In its 'hand' was the device she tried to get off his neck.   
  
"Thanks, this came with you didn't it? What is it?" she asked.  
  
"All I know is that it's a called a D3 and that it belongs to you." Patamon said.  
  
"Cool," She walked over to her bed and sat down onto her soft mattress. Patamon leapt out of her arms and sat before her.   
  
"Uh, Kari who were those two guys who came to your door?" he asked.   
  
"Hm? Oh, that's Tai and Matt." Kari said. "Tai's the brown-haired one, he's my older brother. And Matt is the other one. He's my brother's best friend and...the coolest guy alive." Kari said dreamily.   
  
"Huh?" Patamon said.   
  
"Oh, nothing!"   
  
  
"Hmph,hm, so Gennai's beginning to put his plan into action, I should of expected as much. Trying to reunite the children old man?" a mysterious voice mocked from the dark shadows of a cold, dark place that was clearly undefinable.   
  
"Mistress, what should we do about him?" another voice asked.  
  
"He is of no concern. He's powerless against me, and he knows it. Besides, he has played his part, now everything else will come into place. Hmph, hm, hmm...It looks as if this little dream is about to enter the scene hm? Are you ready?"  
  
"We're ready and waiting for your command Mistress!"   
  
"Good. Just you wait Digidestined, I'm coming to destroy you...."  



	4. A Cry from the Darkness

Sorry it took so long to put up I've been really busy! Anyway, I've been getting a lot of questions on this fic, and I'll answer a few, but not much or else I'll ruin the story. Okay, first off, I'm going to write why I didn't use Gatomon or Tokomon for Kari later. Also, in one of fics, I said Kari was lying against a wall, when it was actually a door. I wrote it that way, because I believed Kari would of been so startled she didn't realize she was against her door. As for the rest of the digidestined, they're coming up, but there's probably not going to be much on the 02 cast other than Kari and Takeru. Sorry! (Trust me, I think Ken's one of the most interesting characters in Digimon, but I couldn't think of anywhere to put him in this fic. :( ) Whew! Now that's over with, on with part four!  
  
Disclaimer: Don't own Digimon, so don't say I never told you!  
  
Notes: "talking"  
'thoughts'  
  
  
Familiar  
Part Four  
A Cry from the Darkness  
  
Mrs. Kamiya had returned after two hours. When she did, she promptly began to  
cook dinner. Kari decided to join her and help out. "Your father will be at the office late  
so we'll be eating dinner without him." their mom announced.   
  
"Okay," Tai replied.  
  
"Whoa, it's later than I thought." Matt said noticing the time on the clock.   
  
"Hey, you're right. Need to call your family man?" Tai asked.   
  
"Yeah, can I use your phone Mrs. Kamiya?" Matt asked.   
  
"Go ahead Matt." she allowed.  
  
Matt walked over the phone. While he dialed his number he looked up through the  
balcony glass doors of the apartment to check out the conditions outside, only to see it  
pouring. "Oh great," he said regretfully. "That's going to make it hard to get to the trains."   
  
"Why don't you just stay here the night Matt?" Tai's mom suggested. "It's raining  
non-stop out there, it's really late anyway, and you and Tai have no school tomorrow." she  
pointed out.   
  
"Uh, sure, that sounds like a good idea, if it's really no bother Mrs. Kamiya."   
  
"No bother at all! I wouldn't want you to go home all soaked and at this hour. I'll  
get out an extra futon and you can sleep in Tai's room."   
  
"Okay, thanks Mrs. Kamiya." Matt said gratefully. "I'll just call my parents to tell  
them."   
  
Kari couldn't help but smile with excitement. 'Matt's going to be spending the night  
here! I can't believe it! Miyako is right, I am so lucky!' she thought with an overwhelming,  
quiet joy. As she stared at him with giddying admiration across the room when he talked  
over the phone, she couldn't help but think, ''Maybe, this is fate's way of telling me to tell  
him how I feel.'   
  
Patamon waited impatiently in Kari's bedroom. Bored, all he can do was lie on the  
bed and watch the rain slide down on Kari's window. Not only that, he was starving.   
  
'Ughhhh... where's Kari with the food she promised me?' he began to wonder. 'I'm  
soooo hungry...'   
  
Finally, as if his prayers had been answered, Kari entered into the room with a big  
smile and a plate. Closing her door behind her, she greeted the anxious Digimon.   
  
"Okay, as promised," she said putting the plate on the floor. "One food platter!"  
With lightning speed, he rushed to the floor. Patamon quickly scarfed it down with a  
relieving hunger.   
  
"This is good! Thanx Kari!" he said with delightful gratitude.  
  
"Hmph, your welcome. You know what?! Matt's spending the night! Isn't it  
great?!" Kari declared.  
  
Patamon suddenly stopped eating and looked up at her with a strange,  
disappointing look. "Matt's the blonde guy right?" he asked. "You like him a lot don't  
you?"   
  
"Yeah, what's the matter Patamon?" she asked concerned.  
  
"Uh, nothing!" he said and went on to eat as he did before, but not a vigorously.  
  
"Hmph, be careful you don't choke there Patamon," Kari remarked.   
  
After Patamon had finished, Kari sneaked back into the kitchen and placed the  
plate into the sink. She then carefully returned to her room. Patamon laid on his back on  
her bed, sighing with satisfaction at the good meal he received.   
  
"I never could remember when I ate so much!"   
  
"Hmph, hm, yeah, you were a bottomless pit there Patamon!" Kari said jokingly.  
She soon settled at the end of her bed and fell back to lay beside him. "Hmm... Matt's so  
close now, I can't help but wonder what him and Tai are talking about. Maybe, it's about  
me.. I wonder what they would say about me. I wonder what Matt would say about me..."  
Kari admitted a little nervously. "What do you think Patamon?" she asked turning her head  
to him.  
  
"Well, if he were like me, I bet he'd say you are one of the nicest, caring, and  
cutest people in the world!"   
  
"Aww, thanks for saying so Patamon, you're so sweet!" she said stroking his head.  
He couldn't help but smile and blush under her hand.   
  
"Um, Kari, do you like me too?" he asked uneasily.   
  
"Of course Patamon! You are my Digimon after all!" she reminded.  
  
"Uh, right!" he replied.   
  
"Hmph, we should get to sleep now. I want to wake up really early and make Matt  
some breakfast!" she said, rising up excitedly. Patamon pouted with a look of jealousy, but  
Kari didn't notice it. "Oh, and to make you some too!" she added. He smiled at that. He  
couldn't wait to see what she would make for him.   
  
"Gasp!" Kari shot upward from her bed startled. "That voice..." she whispered  
holding her head.   
  
"Kari, what's wrong?" Patamon asked looking up at her from the other end of the  
bed.   
  
"Uh, a dream... that's all. Go back.." A sudden chill crept into her and she became  
quiet.   
  
"What is it Kari?" Patamon asked worried.   
  
"Something's- something's not right..."   
  
Suddenly, a dark shadow flew up past Kari window. She gasped and turned just in  
time to see it. She ran over to her window and saw as the black form descend onto the  
roof of her apartment building. "What is that?" Kari didn't understand why, but she had to  
know, it somehow felt as if she had to, like it was her responsibility, her duty.... her  
destiny. She quickly turned around and hurriedly rushed out of her room to follow it.   
  
"Hey! Wait up!" Patamon called flying after her.   
  
'Darkness. There's no white light this time, no rushing colors, silent voices, dark  
faces, just darkness... Where am I?'  
  
"Can you hear me!? Someone! Can anyone hear me?!" a faint voice cries out from  
the blackness.  
  
'That voice..... I've heard it somewhere before, but where? Who are they?'  
  
"Help! Save them! You have to save them! The Digidestined..." the voice cries  
out with more clarity this time. But it's still a voice I can't recognize.  
  
"Who are you?! " I call back, and actually hear my own words. "What are you  
saying?!"  
  
"Watch out! Danger!" the voice began to become more frightened.   
  
'Danger?'  
  
"Matt! Tai!" the voice began to scramble and pause, as if it struggled to speak.   
"-Kari! Look out! She's coming after you! Look-" the voice stopped. I stood alone in the  
deathly silent darkness, trying to comprehend the voice and what they had said. "Wh-what  
was that?"   
  
"Wake up! You have to wake up!" another voice calls out, but it isn't a voice that  
came from a dream. It was someone else calling. Calling from the real world. A burst of  
white light opens among the darkness before me. Their calls become clearer as I'm drawn  
into it. Closer and closer, my world is consumed by a white light and I can hear the voice  
calling me back into the waking world. "Wake up! Wake up! There's danger! You have to  
wake up!"  
  
Matt and Tai slowly open their eyes to the fuzzy surroundings beyond those of  
dreams. "What was that?" they both asked themselves. Both were extremely confused and  
dazed. They had no idea what had happened. Then, a sudden rush of memory came upon  
their minds like wildfire. 'Danger? That voice...'   
  
"Wake up Tai!" the same voice that had called him back caught Tai's attention.   
  
"Wake up Matt!" another voice, the one that had awakened Matt came into reality.  
  
"Wha?" Tai then realized his body felt heavier than usual. He looked up to face his  
stuffed Koromon straight in its ridiculous face. But there was something different about it,  
its face showed an expression of anger and frustration.   
  
Matt faced the same thing. He came to see his Tsunomon on his chest looking  
directly at him with tired, worried red eyes, which was different from its usual cute,  
smiling expression it always had.   
  
"About time!" they both said annoyed.   
  
"GAAHHHHH!!" two simultaneous voices screamed.  
  
"T-Tai, is your stuffed animal talking to you too?"  
  
"Either that or my mom cooked some funky meat.."   
  
"Don't be afraid Tai! I'm your friend!" the pinkish head assured with a smile.  
  
"We're here to protect you!" Matt's stuffed animal declared cheerfully.  
  
"Protect us?" Matt asked confused, rising to sit upright. "From what?"   
  
"From those who would want to destroy you." Tsunomon replied.  
  
"Destroy us?! Why would anyone want to do that?" Tai asked alarmed. (he was  
sitting upright too)  
  
" I don't know, do you Tsunomon?" Koromon asked turning to his fellow digimon.  
  
"You got me!"  
  
"Okay, okay, all right... you said there was danger right? What danger?" Matt  
asked, trying to relax everyone, including himself, into calming down.  
  
"Evil digimon are here, they've come for you. Patamon and his partner have  
already gone to confront it." Koromon said in a serious tone.  
  
"Patamon? And his partner...? Kari!" Tai realized. "KARI'S GOING TO FIGHT  
THAT EVIL DIGI-WHATEVER?!" Tai yelled out, finding that his little sister was in  
danger. He quickly shot out his bed to stand firmly to the floor. Which wasn't true for  
Koromon, who bounced to the floor from being flung off Tai from his leap.   
  
"Ughhh.. oh! Here! These will help us protect you!" Koromon said offering the  
device that was around its neck.  
  
"This thing? What's it do? Other than tell time..." Tai asked looking down on it  
with doubt it can fight a monster.  
  
"It's suppose to help us become stronger!" Koromon explained.  
  
"Yep! Here's yours Matt!" Tsunomon said putting the same device before Matt.  
He held it in his hand, looking down on it with wonder.  
  
"Make you stronger?"   
  
"Urgh, fine! If you can help me, you can come along! Let's go Matt!" Tai said right  
before he dashed out of the room.  
  
"Hey, wait up Tai!" Koromon called out bouncing after him. Matt quickly picked  
up Tsunomon and pursued.  



	5. The First Battle

Okay, part five! I would of had this up on Friday or early Saturday, but I just couldn't get into the site! I'm going to try to update about every week, but I've been so busy, it might take a little longer (urgh..) so just bare with me all right?  
This part actually has fighting, and if my writing on the battle is confusing or something I apologize. Good enough? Okay! On to part five!  
  
Disclaimer: Don't own Digimon, but I watch a lot of it!  
  
Notes: "talking"  
'thoughts'  
  
FAMILIAR  
by Hitora  
Part Five  
The First Battle  
  
  
Flight after flight of stairs passed under Kari's feet. "It's headed for the roof.." she  
kept telling herself as she drew closer and closer.   
  
"Kari! Wait up!" Patamon called. But she didn't lose pace, she couldn't afford to.  
  
"Patamon, we have to hurry! Someone might need our help!"   
  
Finally she reached the end of the stairs to the metal door of the roof. Kari shoved  
it forward. The door swung open only for her to face an empty rooftop. "Where is it?" she  
asked herself scanning left and right.   
  
"Kari!" Patamon came up panting. He fluttered behind her exhausted from having  
to chase her.  
  
"Where is it Patamon? I knew it would come here." Kari said concerned. She  
stepped onto the windy rooftop, still looking for the strange creature that passed by her  
window moments earlier. But all she could see was the dark gravel of the roof, the  
shadowy tops of the surrounding buildings, and the street lights shining from below.  
  
"Maybe we missed it," Patamon suggested.  
  
"BOMB STINGER!"   
  
"What?" Like a flash, a rain of giant stingers flew down before her.  
  
"Look out Kari!" Patamon suddenly pushed her aside before one of them struck  
down on her.  
  
"Uh, thanks Patamon," Kari said both grateful and shaken. "Where did that come  
from?"  
  
"I think it came from that dark creature we saw," Patamon assumed. A loud  
buzzing hummed above them and Kari felt the air begin to stir around her.  
  
"Ughh.." Kari shielded her face with her arm to protect from the push of the  
violent winds coming down from above. She struggled against it look to the sky to see  
what was causing everything. She gasped.  
  
A giant bumble bee-looking creature hovered over the rooftop. It's giant wings  
flapped rapidly that they seem like violet blurs out of it back, they were responsible for the  
relentless winds. It bore six legs and its giant, rounded body was striped in black and  
yellow. Behind its black head came a mane of red and it held two sloping antennae and no  
appearance of eyes. The giant stingers she saw that had attacked her were on the bottom  
of its lower body.  
  
"It's Flymon!" Patamon cried.  
  
"What?" Kari asked confused.  
  
"Flymon's an insect Digimon with a fierce attack called Bomb Stinger. It's not one  
of the nicer Digimon." Patamon explained.   
  
"BOMB STINGER!" it yelled as it dove towards them. The stingers on its lower  
body flew right at them. Kari leapt away from them before it shot down on her. Patamon  
flew above the attack to hover right in front or Flymon.  
  
"BOOM BUBBLE!" A gust of force suddenly flew out of his mouth and right  
towards Flymon. It flew around the blast and flew with increasing speed towards  
Patamon. He dodged away before Flymon crashed into him. He quickly turned around and  
shot out another Boom Bubble at it from behind. The attack actually struck into Flymon's  
back. It paused, stunned at first, but soon turned around towards Patamon.  
  
"BOMB STINGER!" It shot out one of its stinger towards him. Patamon dodged  
it, but wasn't ready for the second stinger it launched. He was struck back and began to  
fall from the sky.  
  
"Patamon!" Kari ran and caught him before he collided to the ground. "Patamon!  
Patamon, are you all right?!" Kari cried out frantically to him.  
  
"DIE!"   
  
"Huh? AAH!" Another series of stingers flew towards her, fortunately, she quickly  
leapt aside from the attack while huddling an unconscious Patamon in her arms.  
  
"BUBBLE BLAST!" Suddenly a storm of pink bubbles flew into Flymon's head. It  
cried out in pain from the surprise attack and drew back.  
  
"Kari!" a familiar voice called.   
  
"Tai! Matt!" Kari called back relieved. She rose to her the face her worried brother  
and his best friend.   
  
"Kari! Are you all right!?" Tai asked, gripping the sides of her shoulders in  
concern.  
  
"I-I'm fine, but Patamon.."   
  
"Don't worry, he'll be fine." Tsunomon assured.  
  
"Huh? You can talk too!?" Kari cried out shocked to the stuffed animal under  
Matt's arm.  
  
"Yep! Isn't that obvious?" he remarked.  
  
"Agghhh..." Patamon moaned. Kari turned her attention back to him.  
  
"Patamon!" Kari exclaimed with joy.  
  
"Ka-Kari, are you all right?" he asked weakly.  
  
"Oh Patamon, you were so brave!" she complimented.  
  
"You really think so?"   
  
"Uh-huh."  
  
"BUBBLE BLAST!" Koromon sprayed out another storm of bubbles towards  
Flymon. This time though, Flymon was ready. It zipped to the side away from the attack  
and zoomed right towards it. Koromon was struck from its flying attack and rolled back  
from the force.  
  
"Koromon!" Tai quickly rushed to his digimon's aid. "Hey, little guy you all right?"   
  
"Ugh, he's too strong for us. You have to make me stronger Tai," Koromon said,  
struggling against the pain.  
  
"I don't understand."   
  
"BOMB STINGER!" A line of its stingers shot right up towards Matt and Kari.  
They both leapt away in opposite directions from it. Dodging it, they both ended to the  
ground, and Kari had accidentally let Patamon out of her arms.   
  
"Patamon!"   
  
"Kari! Look out!" Matt called out.  
  
"What?" she turned to see a diving Flymon headed right towards her.  
"AAAHHH!" With one swift motion, it snatched her up into its huge upper claws.  
  
"Kari!" Tsunomon leapt out and was ready to attack the big insect, but Flymon  
swiped him away with one of its other claws. Tsunomon rolled back before Matt.  
"Tsunomon!"  
  
It's wings began to pick up speed, and it shot into the air, taking Kari with it.   
  
"Matt! Tai! Help me!" she cried out frightened.  
  
Patamon shook out of his unconscious state to see Kari being taken away. "No!  
Kari!" He flapped his batty ears and rose, struggling into the air after it. "I'll save you Kari!  
BOOM BUBBLE!" Patamon shot out another of his attacks. He struck Flymon into the  
back and it turned around agitated.   
  
"BOMB STINGER!" Flymon launched a stinger at him and it struck into Patamon.  
But he took the blow and stayed in air before him, unwilling to give up.  
  
"BOOM BUBBLE!" Patamon fired another shot at Flymon. It dodged it and shot  
another stinger into him. But, Patamon still refused to surrender to the blows.  
  
"Patamon!" Kari cried out to him, trying to encourage him to stop taking so much  
pain and suffering. But still, he hung on and remained to take Flymon's attacks. Even  
though it looked as though that Patamon couldn't hold it for long.   
  
"KAARIII!" Tai called out. 'Urgh! What can I do?! I have to help her!' he thought  
to himself frustrated.   
  
"Tai!" Tai quickly turned to the voice beside him. Koromon glared up at him with  
determined eyes.   
  
"You have to make me stronger... You can do it," he said sternly.   
  
"Tsunomon.." Matt gently picked up the injured digimon.  
  
"We have to help her Matt... Make me stronger, only you can do it..."   
  
Tai and Matt looked at each other with confused glances. But Tai's expression  
changed to a more serious expression. Matt watched him as he took the Digivice out of  
his pocket. Matt did the same.  
  
"If you can help my sister Koromon, then I believe in you!" Tai's digivice began to  
glow and shake. Suddenly a burst of white light burst from its small screen into the dark  
night sky and nearly blew him away.  
  
Matt got the hint. "Ready Tsunomon?!" The same light shot from Matt's digivice  
as well. The beams of light streamed up into the black sky and their glow escaped into the  
clouds. But moments later, a white burst of light exploded above them. The night was  
shed away by the illumination of an enormous portal that opened above them. Matt and  
Tai struggled against the overwhelming force that seemed to try to pull them from the  
very ground. Two colorful pillars of light blasted from the white wormhole and cast down  
on Koromon and Tsunomon.  
  
Flymon paused in his battle with Patamon and looked on to the new force that  
caught his attention. 'What is that?' Kari asked herself as she blocked away the light from  
her eyes with her hand. 'What's this power?'  
  
"KOROMON DIGIVOLVE TO.....AGUMON!"  
  
"TSUNOMON DIGIVOLVE TO....GABUMON!"  
  
"Whoa," Tai and Matt looked wide-eyed at the two entirely different creatures that  
were once Koromon and Tsunomon.   
  
Koromon became a small, round orange T-rex looking dino with long claws on its  
hands and feet. His big round eyes were now a light green color and he had a stubby tail.  
  
Tsunomon had become a dog-looking creature that stood on its two legs. He wore  
a gray, blue- striped fur coat over his head and it hung over its back and in the front of its  
paws. The body under his fur coat was yellow with a blue and red pattern on its stomach.  
A pointed golden horn came from the top of his head and his eyes were now a red color.  
He also had a stubby tail.  
  
"What the heck happened to Koromon and Tsunomon?!" Tai exclaimed breathless.  
  
"GAH!" Patamon wasn't able to take any more damage from Flymon's attacks. He  
fell back from the sky and fell back to the rooftop. Matt rushed over to him and picked  
him up off the ground.   
  
"Hey, are you all right Patamon?" Matt asked. But there was no response, but  
Matt felt him still breathing.  
"You did good Patamon."   
  
"Now Gabumon!" the new Koromon called to the once Tsunomon creature.  
  
"PEPPER BREATH!"   
  
"BLUE BLASTER!"   
  
A great fireball flew out of the orange dino's mouth and a beam of blue ice water  
shot out of the fur-coated dog creature's mouth towards Flymon. But Flymon weaved  
around the attacks and shot another row of Bomb Stingers towards them. They dodged  
away from the attacks. Flymon took the opportunity to retreat with Kari.   
  
"KAARRRIII!" Tai called.  
  
"Tai! Matt!"   
  
"Urgh! Shoot another of those fireballs at that thing!" Tai commanded towards his  
Digimon.  
  
"Wait Tai!" Matt interrupted.  
  
"Matt! That thing's getting away with Kari!" Tai yelled back at him while pointing  
to the escaping Flymon.  
  
"If they attack Flymon they could hit Kari!" Matt reminded.  
  
" Well, Patamon's too weak to go after her and he's the only one who can fly! So  
what do you suppose we do huh?!"   
  
Matt looked down from Tai's gaze. He was silent. There wasn't anything he could  
think of to save Kari.  
  
"Urgh, KARRIII!!" Tai called out in frustration.  
  
  
"Urgh! Let me go!" Kari demanded. "Where are you taking me?!"   
  
"To my master," he replied in a buzzing, scratchy voice.  
  
"Your master? What do they want with with me?!"   
  
"Your destruction."   
  
Kari was silent with shock. She looked around hopelessly. She stared back to see a  
helpless, frightened Tai and Matt. "Someone help me!!" she cried out.   
  
"LIGHTNING PAW!"   
  
A white blur bursted out from nowhere and collided into the side of Flymon's head.  
Kari suddenly flew out Flymon's grasp into the empty night air.  
  
"AAAAHHHH!!" she screamed. She began to feel the pull towards the ground  
begin. Everything just stopped and became silent. The air began to rush past her body and  
the buildings' forms soon blurred beyond sight. Kari closed her eyes tightly, trying not to  
face her own doom.  
  
But everything was suddenly swept away. "Huh?" A dark figure had jumped from  
another rooftop and caught her from the air. They parried off the stumbling Flymon's body  
and soared back down to the rooftop where she once stood.  
  
It was so unreal. Time seemed to have slowed and yet everything happened so fast.  
Kari blinked in disbelief. "Wha-What happened?"   
  
"Are you all right?" a voice asked her, shocking her back out of her near-death  
semi-traumatic state. It was then she realized she was being held in someone's arms. Kari  
turned up towards where the voice had came from and looked up to see who her hero  
was.  
  
"Takeru?"  
  
He carefully set her back to her feet and she stood before him stunned.  
"Ta-Takeru.... I, uh," she was speechless.  
  
"Kari!" a very happy Tai rushed up and embraced her with relief. "I was so  
worried! I'm so glad you're safe!" Kari blinked surprised at her brother's sudden surge of  
positive emotion.  
  
"Uh yeah Tai, Takeru saved me." Kari explained.   
  
"Takeru?" Tai asked. "Huh?" He then noticed the blonde boy standing behind her.  
"What the?"   
  
Matt, following Tai, walked up to the small crowd. "So, you saved Kari huh?" he  
said to the tall boy. Takeru turned to him. Matt stood, totally drawn back to see his own  
eyes looking back at him. 'Wh-Who is this guy?!'  
Matt wondered shocked. An uneasy silence overcame the moment and Kari looked back  
and forth between Matt's and Takeru's glances nervously.   
  
"Uh, Tai, Matt, this is a boy I've meet from school, Takeru Takaishi." she  
introduced, trying to break the tension. "Takeru this is my older brother, Taichi, or Tai for  
short, and his best friend, Yamato Ishida. But we call him Matt." she said pointing to the  
appropriate people.  
  
"Nice to meet you both," Takeru said in his unexpressional way, bowing politely.   
  
"KARI!" Patamon flew wobbly out of Matt's arms into Kari's. "I'm sorry I couldn't  
help you Kari!" he said apologetically.  
  
"Oh, Patamon. you did your best."   
  
A slash flew across one side of Flymon's back and a roar of pain broke into the air.  
They all turned startled to the screeching flying digimon. They all looked closely and  
realized that one of its wings was gone. It staggered in the sky and struggled to stay in  
flight with only one intensely flapping wing. But it couldn't hold itself. It fell onto the  
rooftop with a rumbling crash. Amazingly enough, it rose, barely, to its feet. It roared in  
agony and outrage to the sky, showing it wasn't about to surrender. The white blur sprang  
from his back and seem to call out to Tai's and Matt's digimon.  
  
"Attack Now!"   
  
"If you say so," Agumon agreed confused. "PEPPER BREATH!"  
  
"BLUE BLASTER!"   
  
"BOOM BUBBLE!"   
  
All the attacks hit dead on. The force was too great for the weak Flymon to handle  
and it tumbled over the side of the rooftop and plummeted to the unkind streets below.  
  
  
Everyone sighed in relief.  
  
"Whew, I'm glad that was over.." Tai said, sinking back relieved.  
  
"Yeah, I am too!" Tai's digimon said.  
  
"Oh, great job uh, well, you're not Koromon are you?" Tai asked confused.  
  
"Not exactly, I'm Agumon now. Your power helped me to digivolve from  
Koromon Tai." he explained.  
  
"Did that happen to you too, uh, well, the once Tsunomon?" Matt asked.   
  
"Yep! I'm Gabumon now."   
  
"Hmph, well, thanks for helping us Gabumon." Matt said grateful and slightly  
amazed.  
  
"It was my pleasure Matt!" Gabumon replied.   
  
"By the way, what was that?" Matt asked curiously, looking around at them for  
some possible answers.  
  
"It was Flymon," Takeru replied. "It's an evil Digimon that was probably sent to  
kill you three."   
  
"Uh, yeah, we got that, but why?" Tai asked.  
  
"How should I know?" Takeru said, looking away from them.  
  
'Man, this kid's kinda rude,' Tai thought.  
  
"Maybe, it's because someone wants you dead," an unrecognizable voice replied.  
  
"Hm? What was that?" Kari asked, looking around.  
  
A white cat Digimon soon appeared beside Takeru. It stood on two legs and had a  
long black striped tail with a little golden ring at the end of it. It wore yellow,  
black-striped gloves around it's front paws, with black claws extending from them. It's  
face was cat-like and round with adorable wide light blue eyes and it had large cat ears  
with black tuffs at the point.   
  
"It's another Digimon," Kari said surprised.  
  
"This is Gatomon." Takeru introduced.  
  
"Oh," Kari knelt down to face it. "It's nice to meet you Gatomon, I'm Kari!" she  
said with a friendly smile.  
  
Gatomon only blinked at her for a few moments with no clear expression or  
replying words.   
  
"Uh," Seeing a discomfort from Gatomon, Kari rose up away from it. "Is it your  
digimon Takeru?" Kari asked him.  
  
"I am Takeru's digimon!" Gatomon interrupted fiercely. Kari turned to it surprised  
at its sudden will to speak to her. "I'm more like his partner though." she corrected.  
  
"Oh, sorry, I didn't know that. Hey, you were probably the one that attacked  
Flymon to save me weren't you?"   
  
"So what if I was?" Gatomon asked looking away from her.  
  
"Hmph, thank you for helping me." Kari said gratefully.  
  
Gatomon turned back to her, a little surprised. But within moments, she turned  
away from Kari and stood with her back to her. "Yeah, well, you better not get caught  
next time." she replied and walked off to the side of the roof to scan below.  
  
"Gatomon isn't use to other people is she?" Kari suspected.   
  
"Yes." Takeru replied. "She doesn't really warm up to people right away. Please  
don't be offended."   
  
"Oh, I'm not offended. I understand she's not really comfortable with others."   
  
"Still, she could at least say you're welcome." Tai said crossly. 'Well, I guess the  
partners share similar traits. Hey, wait a minute, how'd this kid get a digimon anyway?' Tai  
wondered.  
  
"Hey, Takeru right? Do you have one of these?" Tai asked showing him his  
Digivice.  
  
"Hm, actually, I received this from Gatomon." Takeru said revealing the exact D3  
device Kari had, only in the areas where it was pink on hers, it was green on his.   
  
"Weird. He has the same device as Kari's and a digimon, so I suppose that sort of  
makes him like us." Tai deducted.  
  
"But the real question is why did we get them?" Tai reminded. "Why is someone  
trying to destroy us and why we received them is what I'm wondering about."   
  
'Yeah, me too. Urgh, let's see, maybe it has to do with those dreams we keep  
having.... But Kari, wait a minute, didn't that voice called for Kari too?' Matt realized. "It  
has to do with our dreams," Matt said.   
  
"What? What are you talking about Matt?" Tai asked.  
  
"Our dreams! Maybe all this has to do with those dreams we keep having.  
Remember, tonight a voice actually called out and warned us about Flymon."   
  
"Wait a minute," Kari interrupted. "You heard that too?"   
  
Tai and Matt both looked at her shocked.  
  
"What?" Tai couldn't believe it. "Y-you have the dreams too..?"   
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	6. Revelations

Urgh! I'm in! Geez, sorry it took so long to update, I was temporarily banned from the computer and this  
site didn't let me in! Well, I won't be updating as much as I want to (you know work,  
homework, etc. etc.) but I'm going to try my best! I'll try to finish the next part in a week  
or two, but don't expect it too soon. This fanfic has a lot of explanation in it and it might  
answer a lot questions. O.K.? On with the fic!  
  
Disclaimer: Don't own Digimon, so I better not see any lawyers all right?  
Notes: "Talking"  
'Thoughts'  
  
Familiar  
Part Six  
Revelations  
  
"There's this bright light, and I then I wake up." Kari said, finishing up describing  
her dream.   
  
"That's almost exactly like my dream and Tai's." Matt said stunned.  
  
"I can't believe this! Why didn't you tell me?!!" Tai yelled, obviously not over the  
shock of hearing his own little sister had shared their dream.  
  
"Well, I thought it wasn't such a big deal. Besides, I was afraid you would have  
gotten worried." Kari explained.  
  
"Hmph, I suppose you guessed right." Matt said watching as Tai paced aimlessly  
around crying out his   
disbelief. "Um, Tai, I think we should start to try to figure all this out." Matt suggested,  
trying to calm him down.  
  
"Hm? Right!" Tai said turning immediately into a serious expression.  
  
"Okay. Kari,"   
  
"Yes Matt!" she responded anxiously.  
  
"Kari, did you hear that strange voice in your dream tonight that warned you about  
a danger?" Matt asked.  
  
"Uh, yeah. I don't really understand why, but it somehow sounded so familiar, like  
I should have somehow   
known who warned me. Did you feel that too Matt?" Kari asked.  
  
"We've been having that feeling a lot lately." Tai broke in. "These digimon, that  
Takeru guy, and his cat.."   
  
"Her name is Gatomon." Takeru interrupted.  
  
"Whatever, anyway this is getting too weird! It was just dreams! But now there are  
flying monsters trying to   
kill us!" Tai exclaimed.  
  
"They're called Digimon," Takeru corrected.   
  
"The point is, why do they feel we should know?" Matt explained, trying to keep  
the situation under control.  
  
"Hmph, hm, silly little Digidestined. All confused and lost, isn't it adorable  
Snimon." a sleek, dark voice asked to the large green insectoid beside the figure. "Hmm...  
I never thought Flymon would lose to a bunch of inexperienced children. Even more  
surprising it seems that their little Digimon has learned about that little secret called  
Digivolving." the mysterious figure said a bit concerned. "Hmph, but they're weak now, so  
you'll have no problem Snimon. GO!" A pale hand pointed fiercely towards them. Snimon  
obeyed and headed to the selected targets. "Hmph, hm, time for this dream to come to its  
next act."   
  
"Hm? Gatomon perked up her ears to the slight buzzing in the air. She looked up,  
scanning the dark night sky. Her ears twitched more tying to pinpoint its source. "I've  
heard this before," she murmured. Gatomon's eyes   
narrowed on a faint form in the distance. She then let out a low gasp. "Look out!" she  
cried to them. "It's Snimon!"   
  
"Huh? Everyone turned to Gatomon and her warning. It was then they noticed a  
giant green praying mantis   
looking monster was headed right towards them. Diving with its sharp claws ready finish  
up Flymon's mission. They all   
stood shocked in horror.  
  
Suddenly, a burst of light lit up the night sky once again. "Huh?"   
  
"Tai, your digivice!" Agumon called to him.  
  
Tai held it tightly in his hand as it violently shook and glowed. Soon, all the other  
digivices did the same.   
Each of their owners held them, looking down on them in wonder. A burst of light broke  
through the darkness and   
Snimon stopped cold in his tracks startled. One by one, each digivice followed,  
illuminating the night. Four beams of   
light, one red, one blue, another green, and the last pink, raced towards the heavens,  
cutting the sky. Soon they flew   
beyond their view. A rumble echoed across the sky and a gentle explosion purred through  
the clouds. The portal from   
before opens above them and begins to shine down an unknown light upon them all. The  
force that drew them in was   
much more stronger this time. Tai, Kari, Matt, Takeru, and all their digimon tried to fight  
against its pull, but it was too   
strong. Their feet soon lost grip on the rooftop and they became weightless in its power.  
No control or explanation was   
present. They floated up the beam of white light towards the giant portal, unable to even  
struggle away. But, somehow,   
they began to settle and look up into the light above them. Something awaited for them on  
the other side of that portal,   
they all felt it. Their fear faded away and they just gave in to its mighty will.  
  
"No!" the unknown figure in the shadows of the nearby building cried out, seeing  
their plans begin to fall   
away. "It can't be!"   
  
In an instant, the four children and their Digimon disappeared through the white  
portal and were gone from   
their grasp. "Urghhh... Gennai...." they hissed.  
  
  
"AHHHHHHH!!" They were blinded by an overwhelming light as they came into  
the portal and before they   
knew it, they were dropping to a wooden floor from mid-air.  
  
"Urgghhhh..." They all groaned as they ended up as a confused mess on the floor  
of the unfamiliar place.   
  
"Urgh, where are we?" Tai wondered, settling himself to sit upright on the floor.  
He scanned the room   
carefully, and after the others had recovered from their fall they did the same. It looked  
like they were in a traditional   
Japanese house. The smooth wooden floors were below them and paper screen doors  
were present on some of the   
walls round the room. "Huh?" Tai's eyes soon came to the wall that faced him. On the  
wall before him were some large   
glass doors that looked outside of the house. But when Tai saw what was outside his  
expression quickly turned to   
shock. "What the heck?!"   
  
They all turned to the glass doors he had become all startled at. Beyond the glass  
doors was a nice   
oriental-style garden that was surrounded by water and fish. "We're - We're underwater?!"  
Kari cried out.  
  
"Hm, you have good eyes Kari." another voice commented. They all turned their  
heads to the sudden voice.   
  
"Gennai?" Tai barely choked out from surprise. The short man stood with a  
strange black outfit and a   
friendly smile before them. He had come from a room behind nearby some paper screen  
sliding doors.  
  
"Hmm, I expected your arrival would of been sometime soon." Everyone then  
noticed the room behind   
Gennai full of pillows on the floors. "I suppose I miscalculated where you would arrive.  
(Everyone sweartdrops)  
  
"Gennai, do you know where we are?! What are you doing here?!" Tai asked in a  
frantic voice while rising   
before the old man.  
  
"I also expected you to ask many question too." Gennai remarked.   
  
"Did you miscalculate how many?" Matt asked sarcastically, raising himself to his  
feet. Kari and Takeru   
followed.  
  
"Hmph, I had almost forgotten about that Matt wit." Gennai replied back. He  
looked through the   
group that stood before him, and for some reason his eyes remained upon Takeru.  
Gennai's expression slightly turned   
into a more concentrating look, with his eyes never leaving Takeru. Takeru began to feel  
nervous under the old man's   
gaze. Kari then noticed him and his uncomfortable twitching.  
  
"Oh, sorry Gennai. This is Takeru Takaishi. Takeru, this is Gennai, an old friend of  
ours." she introduced.   
  
"Um, nice to meet you." Takeru said bowing to him, with a little relief of getting  
away from his fixed gaze.  
  
"Hm, nice to meet you too Takeru," Gennai said with his returning signature  
smile. "I didn't expect you here just yet, oh well! That just saves time." he said merrily as  
he turned around towards the pillow room behind him.   
  
Tai, Kari, and Matt just looked at each other confused. "Save time?" They all  
wondered, including the   
digimon. They just decided to ignore it for now and followed Gennai into the next room.  
  
After clearing away some pillows, they all sat at a low black table with each child  
sitting beside their own   
digimon, except for Patamon who sat in Kari's lap. Gennai stood before them as they  
patiently waited for him to start   
speaking. "So, how's those gifts I gave you?" he remarked.  
  
"They're fine, so what are we doing her Gennai?" Tai asked directly to the point.  
  
"Hmmm... well you're in my house." Gennai said.  
  
"This is your house!" Tai said surprised.  
  
"Well, you are rich, so I suppose this makes sense." Matt said while looking  
around.  
  
"I don't think he's rich enough to buy a portal to use as his front door." Tai said.  
  
"Oh that, well, that's because you need a portal to travel to the Digiworld at first."  
  
"DIGIWORLD?!" they all said at the same time.   
  
"That's where we're from." Gatomon said to everyone.  
  
"Oh yeah, I remember, I don't know how that could of slipped my mind." Patamon  
said surprised,   
  
"A lot of things slipped everyone's' minds Patamon." Gennai said. Everyone turned  
to him with a lost look to his words. Tai summed up all their feelings in one simple  
comment.  
  
"What are you talking about old man?"   
  
"Gennai Tai," Kari corrected.   
  
"Hm, I expected to give some explanation too. First off, the Digiworld is a shadow  
world to yours', Earth.   
Here everything can live by computer data and here there are many different creatures  
called Digimon. There was also   
a group that kept the balance between light and darkness, good and evil in the Digiworld  
and Earth. The members of   
this group were specially chosen for their different qualities: courage, friendship,  
knowledge, reliability, love, sincerity,   
hope, and light. These traits were turned into crests that helped to increase the Digimon's  
strength and power. This   
group was called the Digidestined. The Digidestined, beside their digimon partners, fought  
evil digimon after evil digimon time and time again defending the Digital World and your  
world." Gennai said in a serious tone, that was unlike   
him.   
  
"So, are you saying we're this group?" Matt asked.  
  
"You four are a part of it. You see, something has happened to change the worlds  
as we once knew them. As   
the Digidestined were traveling between the worlds, something interrupted the transition.  
The Digidestined became   
separated and only you three and now to my knowledge, Takeru, seem to have ended  
back in the real world. Not only   
that, the interruption somehow distorted the real world and the Digiworld." Gennai aid.  
  
"Distorted? What do you mean?" Kari asked nervously.  
  
"The dark force had changed reality in both of the worlds. The Digidestined were  
forgotten from most of the   
Digimon that once knew them here in the Digiworld. Even the members of the  
Digidestined themselves seemed to   
have disappeared and I assume they have lost their memories of their true identities as  
well.   
  
"There are others?" Tai asked. "There are more who are partnered with digimon  
like us?"   
  
" Yes. But there is no sure way to find them. All I know is that is one Digidestined  
to each crest and each   
have a digimon in which they can digivolve." Gennai explained.  
  
"We've had friends that we fought with to save the world and didn't even know  
it.." Matt said in a heavy   
tone.  
  
"Don't feel so down Matt, they probably don't even remember you either." Gennai,  
well tried to, in a   
comforting way.  
  
"So, what you're basically saying is that Matt, Kari, Takeru, myself, the other  
Digidestined, our world, and   
the Digiworld are all, in some way, suffering from a giant case of amnesia." Tai asked.  
Gennai nodded, agreeing to Tai's   
interpretation. "Uh, no offense, but that seems a little out there."   
  
"I understand is may be hard to believe. I would of thought your minds would of  
been more open after   
seeing a digivolution and strange monsters trying to destroy you."  
  
"I get your point," Matt replied.  
  
"Good. Now since all the Digidestined have become lost, and you are the only  
ones managed to have   
reached, you four are the only ones who are able to restore the digital world and your own  
to what it once was."  
  
"Us? What can we do to save this world and our own?" Kari asked curiously.  
  
"You have to find the four other Digidestined who has become lost and try to  
revive your lost crests and   
theirs as well. But you should be careful, it seems there is someone who doesn't want you  
to accomplish this. It could   
also even be the same person who created that dark pulse. You might have to stop them  
as well." Gennai warned.  
  
"That's a lot to do." Tai remarked.  
  
"How are we suppose to do that? We have no idea about this place, or who these  
other Digidestined are and   
how to even find them." Matt reminded.  
  
"No one said it would be easy." Gennai replied. "But, this is all we could do. the  
Digidestined and their   
digimon are the protectors of the balance between the real world and the Digiworld,  
you're the only ones with the   
power to help us restore order." Gennai said. "I've searched long and hard for you and  
your digimon, even your own   
digimon had lost most of their memory. But I worked to restore and reunite you. If I, an  
old man can accomplish that,   
then you must have a chance."  
  
"You're right Gennai, we can do this if we try!" Kari said eagerly.  
  
"Yeah, I'll be there to help too!" Patamon agreed happily along with Kari.  
  
"Me too!" Agumon assured Tai.  
  
"Well, since it seems these other Digidestined are our friends, even if we don't  
remember them, I guess we   
should try to find them. I mean if it's the fate of the world and all." Tai said agreeing.  
  
"I suppose I can't let you go off by yourselves, I'll do this too." Matt agreed.  
  
"Then, I will too." Gabumon followed.  
  
"What about you Takeru?" Kari asked him. "Will you join us?"   
  
Takeru had been quiet the entire time and looked doubtful to everything, but he  
replied, "I will join you."  
  
"Well, if Takeru's going so am I!" Gabumon said.  
  
"Hm, well it's all settled then!" Gennai said. "Do any of you have any other  
questions? I might be able to   
answer them."   
  
"Uh, yeah, what do these things our digimon gave us do, other than tell time, and  
well make our digimon   
bigger?" Tai asked, holding up the strange device.  
  
"Those devices are called Digivices. They help bring your digimon to higher, more  
powerful levels through   
your own strengths whenever you're in danger." Gennai explained.  
  
"Whoa, that's definitely more than a clock." Tai remarked looking at the digivice in  
his hand.   
  
"Hey, howcome Takeru's and mine are different from Matt's and Tai's?" Kari  
asked.  
  
"They're used for basically the same thing. They're a different model, it's an  
upgrade from Tai's and Matt's   
models. They are called D3's."   
  
"Why do we have them?" Takeru asked.  
  
"Hmm, because, well you see you and Kari are part of the latest Digidestined  
group, which have the D3   
models, but Matt and Tai were part of the predecessor group with the older model  
Digivice." Gennai explained.  
  
"The latest digidestined?" Is that the group we have to find?" Matt asked.  
  
"No, it's the members of the previous group. The newest Digidestined, in a sense,  
don't even exist. Since   
the previous Digidestined lost their crests and powers, they were unable to be inherited by  
the members of the new   
Digidestined. Only Kari and Takeru remain of them because they were part of the previous  
group also." Gennai   
answered.   
  
"Okay, this is just getting more confusing.." Tai said annoyed to the whole  
situation.  
  
"I can understand that this must be a little overwhelming. Just know this, you have  
to find the other   
Digidestined and all of the crests once again to save this world." Gennai said. "Your  
digimon will protect you, but you   
have to help them as well by aiding them in digivolving, but you already have some  
experience in that don't you?"   
Gennai said with a smile.  
  
"How are we suppose to find the other Digidestined?" Matt asked. "Or even know  
who they are if we can't   
remember them?"   
  
"That I do not know. My memory and thoughts became scrambled as well by the  
dark pulse, but no to such   
a degree that I didn't forget the legend of the Digidestined. Through research and more  
research I was able to regain   
most of my knowledge. But, I still do knot know where the others are of how to find  
them." Gennai admitted. "I'm   
sorry."   
  
"Oh don't feel bad Gennai, you must of done a lot of work to do all this and find  
this out. You've done more   
than enough of your part to help us." Kari said grateful to him.  
  
"Yeah I suppose it's up to us now right?" Tai said enthusiastically.   
  
"Right!" Agumon agreed, rising a claw into the air, being just as enthusiastic as  
Tai.  
  
" Yes. Do not worry Matt, we will find a way to find the others and discover who  
they are." Gabumon said   
assuredly to him. But Matt still looked a little unsure.   
  
"Ah, come on Matt, just see this as an opportunity to figure out those weird  
dreams." Tai encouraged.  
  
"All right. But, I still have my doubts about this." Matt stated concerned.  
  
"Hmph, don't worry, you all are the Digidestined! I have faith you will all succeed  
in your objectives."   
Gennai said in a reassuring voice.  
  
"I hope you're right Gennai." Matt replied.   
  
"Oh, don't worry now, you're probably all tired from battling and talking for most  
of the night. I'll show you to some rooms you can sleep in." Gennai said walking out.  
After looking at each other for a few moments they stood up   
and followed.   
  
  
  
"That was a lot to take in huh?" Tai remarked, lying back onto the bottom bed of  
the bunk. Tai, Matt,   
Takeru, and their digimon, Agumon, Gabumon, and Gatomon were given one room and  
Kari slept in her own with   
Patamon. Two sets of bunk beds stood against the walls of their room, which was fairly  
large. A small, single square   
window stood on the wall opposite to where the door was.  
  
"Yeah." Matt agreed in an even tone while looking out the single window.  
  
"Geez, what's wrong with you Matt?" Tai asked turning back to him.  
  
"There's- nothing. It's just a lot to sink in you know." Matt replied in a low voice.  
Tai wasn't really   
convinced to believe he was just overwhelmed. But, he wasn't one to pry.  
  
"Okay man, let's just get some sleep huh? I think that rude awakening exhausted  
me out." Tai said stretching out.  
  
"Well sorry Tai, I was just trying to protect you." Agumon said.  
  
"Yeah I know and you did a good job! Well, good night." Tai said.  
  
"Good night!" Agumon replied and they both almost immediately sunk to sleep.  
Takeru was about to settle   
down to do the same, but looked over at Matt staring endlessly out the window which, he  
knew, had only a dark lake in   
view.   
  
"Are you sure nothing is wrong?" Takeru asked.   
  
Matt looked up at him surprised for a moment. Takeru didn't seem like one who  
asked about feelings too   
often. But Matt soon just turned away and began to climb to the top bunk over Tai's bed.  
"Yeah, don't worry about me,   
just go to sleep." he reassured.  
  
"All right. Good night." Takeru replied, and laid down into the top bunk opposite  
from Matt's. Gatomon   
kept a bed to herself under Takeru's and Gabumon was already sound asleep in Matt's bed.   
  
"Good night," Matt softly called back.  
  
  
  
"Hm?" Gabumon slowly opened his eyes. A strange feeling overcame him and  
awoke him in the middle of the night. "Matt?" He then noticed he slept alone in his top  
bunk and faced an empty place where Matt use to lay.   
Gabumon rose off the bed and looked around to see him no where in sight.  
  
Gabumon carefully climbed back down to the floor and quietly exited the room in  
search of his missing   
Digidestined human. The halls were now dark in Gennai's house. The wooden floors under  
his feet were cold and bare   
and he walked slowly through them, partly because he didn't want to wake anyone else  
and partly because he was afraid   
of tripping over something. He tried to adjust his eyes to the blackness and used the little  
light from the windows along   
the walls to guide himself through the dim house. Turning his head to and fro into every  
hallway and open room he   
looked anxiously, beginning to fear the worst for his new partner as his search grew longer  
and longer.   
  
Finally, he came to the room with the large glass doors where they had first landed  
when they arrived.  
Standing before it, silently watching the nocturnal fish swim through the currents was  
Matt. Gabumon sighed relieved   
to know that nothing had happened to him. But something else seemed to bother him, a  
feeling that came to him, and   
this feeling stood looking at the ever-still Matt in concern. He came to stand beside him  
and watch the fish wander by also. "Are you all right?" he asked after a few still moments.   
  
"I'm okay Gabumon," Matt said in his ever cool tone, but it didn't fool Gabumon.  
  
"I can tell you're lying Matt. Why don't you just tell me what's bothering you? I'm  
your digimon! You can   
tell me anything. I will not tell the others if you don't want me to." Gabumon guaranteed  
him.   
  
Matt remained unmoving for what seem like hours, watching the light dance in the  
water. He soon closed   
his eyes and sighed. "It's about the others.."  
  
"Others? Do you mean Tai, Takeru, and Kari?" Gabumon asked.  
  
"No, I mean the lost Digidestined." Matt corrected.   
  
"What about them Matt?"   
  
"It's just... I can't really explain it. Ever since I heard Gennai talk about the  
Digidestined and that we have   
to find the others I've gotten this strong feeling to go out and look for them. I don't even  
know how or where to begin, but there's something inside me telling me it doesn't matter I  
just have to find them!" Matt admitted.  
  
"There's nothing wrong with that Matt, you're just worried about your friends."  
Gabumon assured.  
  
"No, that's just it. It feels like.... this emotion, this strong determination... I feel  
there's someone very   
special to me out there I'm looking for... There's someone out there my heart is telling me  
it wants to find." Matt said   
to him. "But, at the same time I feel this, fear. Like I'm afraid to find them and that I  
shouldn't or I would get hurt."   
Matt said in low, disturbed tone of voice. "I just don't know what to make of it  
Gabumon."   
  
Gabumon looked up confused at him staring into the lake's waters lost in thought.  
From Matt's silent   
expression alone, he suspects that Matt was probably just as confused at these emotions as  
Gabumon himself was.  
  
'Humans are weird creatures,' he thought. After much wondering, Gabumon just came to  
the best conclusion he could   
think of before getting a major headache on trying to figure out human emotions. "You  
have to follow your heart Matt," Gabumon replied.  
  
"Huh? My heart..?" Matt said looking down on his digimon with confused eyes.   
  
"Yes, you have to follow your own heart where ever it may go. It will lead you to  
your true feelings."   
Gabumon said wisely.  
  
"My... true feelings..?"  
  
"I'm not sure exactly what you're feeling Matt, but I do know that you're very  
worried about someone.   
Maybe, it's one of the Digidestined we're looking for or you may not know whoever that  
is, but I'm sure your heart   
will know. And you can be sure I'll be there to help you no matter what." Gabumon said in  
reassuring voice.  
  
"Uh... thanks Gabumon," Matt was a little surprised at his digimon's loyalty, but he  
was very grateful for it.   
  
"Don't worry about it Matt! I'm your Digimon after all! I'm here to help you!"  
Gabumon said with a smile, levitating some of the stress Matt was feeling. "Now,"  
Gabumon said stretching and yawning. "I think we should get   
back to sleep." he said wearily.  
  
"All right Gabumon, let's go."   
  
  
  
'Tai... Matt....'   
  
'Who's there?!' I reply back shocked. I look around nervously. I stood once again  
surrounded by darkness   
with no one else besides me.  
  
'Tai... Matt....'  
  
'Who are you?' I ask the mysterious voice. I then realize it's the same voice  
thatwarned about the Flymon   
attacking us, but the question still remained on who it was.   
  
'I don't have much time.... You have to find the others.. the Digidestined.."   
  
'We know that, how do we find he others?' I call back.  
  
'Not enough time.....to explain... I can help you.... find the others...... just clear  
your mind...... and I will help   
you....'  
  
I wasn't sure what to make of this. 'How can you help me?' I ask back suspiciously.  
  
'We must hurry.... I do not have much time.... clear your mind.....quickly'  
  
I was still hesitant and I began to wonder on the unknown person behind the voice  
and if they were my   
enemy in disguise.   
  
'You must save them..... you must save me.... please trust me......please help.....'  
they begged, they sounded   
desperate and sincere enough. So, I just thought what the heck, why not?  
  
'All right,' I close my eyes and waited nervously in finding out what it was they  
could give to help me. Or if   
it was a mental trap meant to kill me.   
  
Suddenly a spark flicked in front of me. I open my eyes surprised to the sudden  
burst of light. It flicked again, then again, and again, until finally it became a steady ball of  
bright, white light. I look closely, and I could barely see a faint lavender sign gently  
glowing within the ball of white light. I narrowed my eyes, trying to get a closer look at  
what it was, but I was suddenly struck with a jolt of energy that fired straight from it. My  
head flew back from the force as the beam of energy impacted into my forehead. The  
darkness faded away to a bright white blazing with flashing images. 'What's going on?!  
What's happening?' Was all I was wondering about. Insignias.... signs.... symbols.....  
unknown symbols kept flashing in my mind. What were they?! What did they mean!? My  
mind began to strain and it felt as though waves of headaches kept sweeping over my very  
brain. The more I saw, the more my mind felt like it was going to explode. 'What is this?!'  
I cried out. I held my head in agony and I didn't know how much more I could of take, I  
did know it wasn't much. But, I couldn't break away, it was too strong. I couldn't help it,  
the pain was too great to handle... I wanted it to stop. I wanted it to stop. The images  
faded and everything sunk into a pitch black again. Silence. There was not a sound to be  
heard, not even my own uneven breathing. But, a faint sound soon caught my ears. Beep.  
Beep. Beep. A pause in the rhythm. A message then appeared over the darkness before my  
eyes. DOWNLOAD COMPLETE.  
  
"GASP!" Both Tai and Matt burst forward shocked. Both breathed heavily and  
had cold sweat trickling   
down the their faces. They stared blankly into the room, panting in shock, not yet aware of  
their surroundings.  
  
"Urgh," Matt grasped his forehead in pain. "What in the heck was that?"   
  
Tai fell back to lie on his bed once more and held his head also. "Man, I don't  
know. You okay though?" Tai   
asked to him.   
  
"I will be..." he replied. "Huh?" The room was brightly lit with sunlight and they  
noticed Takeru and Gatomon were no longer in their beds. "It's morning."   
  
"Hey, you two up all ready!" Agumon called, rushing into the room. He was  
followed by Gabumon.  
"Good morning!" Gabumon replied.  
"Yeah, for you." Tai murmured, still trying to recover from his headache.   
"Good morning Gabumon," Matt said achingly.  
"What happened to you two?" Another voice asked. Kari soon appeared behind  
Gabumon and Agumon. "Did you two have a fight or something?" she asked.  
"No. It's just that voice in the dream sent us a little headache." Tai remarked.  
"Hey, did you get that too Matt?" Tai asked.  
"Yeah," he said. "What about you Kari?" Matt asked to her.  
"That's funny, I didn't get any headaches like that... in fact, I don't even think I had  
any of the dreams last night." Kari admitted.   
"What?" Tai said shocked. "How?"   
"I don't know." she said blankly.  
"Urgh, you were lucky."   
"Say, who's ready for some breakfast!" Gennai called.   
"Oh, out of the way!" Agumon said excitedly rushing out of the room.  
"Hey, wait!" Gabumon called following after.  
"Will you two be okay?" she asked worried.   
"Yeah, yeah, just get out and eat some breakfast will ya?" Tai said to her, starting  
to sound annoyed.  
"You don't have to be so pushy Tai. See ya later!" she called and left the room.  
Tai and Matt rose out of their beds and stood onto the wooden floors of the room,  
staring blankly to the wall before them.   
"What do you think that did to us?" Matt asked him.  
"Not sure, whatever it did, we'll just have to wait and see huh?" Tai replied.  
"I was afraid you would say that..."   
  
  
  
  
  



	7. An Interesting Tool

Digimon! Digimon! The last two episodes of Digimon have been great haven't they?! ( A Very Digi-Christmas and the one after that.. the title escapes me right now..) I love a show that can surprise me! (Sigh) Anyway, sorry it took so long to bring up the next chapter again. How did you like the last chapter? It was sort of longer than the others, I hope it didn't confuse anyone. (well, not too bad anyway..) Weeellll... It's late (around hm, 1:14 a.m.) and I don't really got that much else to say... so, on with the fic! Enjoy!  
  
Disclaimer: Don't own Digimon yadda, yadda  
  
Notes: "talking" 'thoughts'  
  
Familiar  
Part 7  
An Interesting Tool  
  
"So, Gennai thinks he can defy me and get away with it hm? What a silly old man,  
he should be smart enough to know that he can never defeat me. Protecting those children  
is only prolonging this little play Gennai. But, I never really liked short performances  
anyway.... hmph hm, I'm coming.. soon, very soon..."   
  
Tai and Matt slowly and stumbly walked through the hallways into the dining  
room. Kari, Takeru, Patamon, Gatomon, Agumon, and Gabumon looked up at them as  
they entered.   
  
"Geez, you guys really look awful." Agumon said concerned.  
  
"Thanks Agumon, that really makes the headache feel better." Tai replied  
sarcastically.  
  
They somehow managed to sit down to the table without falling over. "That  
voice.... why do you think it did that to us? Do you think it could be important?" Matt  
asked, turning towards Tai.   
  
"All it seems to do to me is make me feel like I have a major hangover.." Tai said  
holding up his head by putting a hand to his forehead. "What's with the questions to this  
thing anyway Matt?"   
  
"It could be helpful to us, or it could be something that might destroy us... I'm just  
trying to figure out which it is,"   
  
"Will you two stop talking like we're not here.." Gatomon broke in. "What's going  
on with you two?"  
  
"Something happened in their dreams. I think someone did something to them that  
caused those headaches they have right now." Kari explained.  
  
"Their dreams? What did it do?" Gatomon asked in an unusually curious.  
  
"We don't know okay?" Tai said agitated. Takeru understood Tai's tone turned to  
Gatomon with a look that said to bothered him no more.  
  
"Well, I see everyone has come to breakfast!" Gennai declared. He entered into the  
dining room with his usual grin and scanned around the room at the faces staring up to  
greet him. But, stopped as he came to see Tai and Matt. "Hm, you two look like a piano  
dropped on you both, what's wrong? Breakfast no good for you boys?" Gennai asked.  
  
"We haven't had any.." Tai said. "Matt and I just had a little painful visitor in our  
dreams last night." he groaned.  
  
"Well, then have some breakfast! It's bound to perk you right up!" Gennai said  
cheerfully. "After you're all done with that, I have something to show you. Just give me a  
little time.. I'll come for all of you in awhile when it's ready." Gennai declared then walked  
off.  
  
"What a strange little man," Gatomon mumbled.   
  
"What do you think he wants to show us?" Kari asked.   
  
"Urgh... not so loud.." Tai moaned.   
  
"Maybe it has to do with the other Digidestined." Takeru suggested.   
  
All of their attention suddenly shot up. "You really think?" Matt wondered.  
  
"We'll just have to wait and see won't we?" Kari replied.  
  
"Sigh" Everyone was done with breakfast.   
  
"Well, it seems Gennai's pretty busy, so, I'll clean up!" Kari volunteered.   
  
"Then I'll help clean up too!" Patamon said quickly after.   
  
"I'll help you too Kari," Matt offered.  
  
"Oh, really Matt?" she asked surprised, and a filled with a touch of delight.  
  
"Yeah right man, how can you even think of doing anything when we can barely  
walk from these headaches?" Tai reminded.   
  
"Oh right, I guess I won't be much help if I can even walk straight.." Matt realized.   
  
'URGHH!! TAAAAIIII!!!' Kari's mind screamed in frustration. 'But still...'   
  
"I can still help you if you want Kari," Matt replied to her.   
  
She sighed. "No, it's all right. Why don't you and Tai rest and wait until Gennai  
tells us the news?" she suggested behind a forced smile to hide her regret.  
  
"That sounds like a good idea," Tai agreed.   
  
"Well, since Tai and Matt can't help you Kari, why don't you let us help you?"  
Agumon said, referring to himself and Gabumon.  
  
"Sure. Thanks a lot guys!"   
  
Kari, Patamon, Agumon, and Gabumon all decided to clean up. Takeru had left  
breakfast silently and wandered off somewhere. No one bothered following him, except  
Gatomon of course, because they all knew he probably preferred to be alone. Tai and Matt  
waited eagerly for Gennai's news.   
  
"He sure likes to take his sweet time doesn't he?" Tai remarked, beginning to  
become impatient. He laid across a couch in one of the house's rooms, lounging around  
for Gennai's appearance. Matt stood nearby, looking out the door windows that laid on  
the walls behind the couch Tai laid on.   
  
"Yeah.." Matt replied in a slow tone. 'What's taking him so long anyway?!' he  
thought impatiently frustrated.  
  
"Hey, be careful you two!" Kari called after Agumon and Gabumon running off to  
put away the dishes. "Hmph hm, maybe you should help them to get those dishes into the  
cupboards Patamon." Kari suggested.  
  
"Okay!" he said and followed after them. Kari watched closely, making sure they  
didn't drop anything. After assuring herself that there were no crashing dishes, she finished  
the last bit of the unclean load and placed them on the drying rack beside her.   
  
"Whew," she dried off her hands with a dishtowel and wiped off her brow. "All  
done!"   
  
"Yay!" All of the digimon declared at once.   
  
"Okay, you can all go now, thanks for all your help!" Kari said grateful.  
  
"No problem Kari!" Agumon said.  
  
"We are glad that we could be of some help!" Gabumon replied. With that, they  
both ran off to rejoin Tai and Matt.   
  
"Great job Patamon, thanks for your help too!" Kari said to her digimon flying  
beside her.   
  
"It was nothing!" Patamon said. "Hey, Kari are you wondering what Gennai has to  
show us?" he asked her curiously.  
  
"Yeah, just a little. He didn't really tell us much about it you know." Kari  
reminded.  
  
"Should we try to look for him and ask?" Patamon asked, a little excited at the  
idea.  
  
"I don't think so Patamon. He said he would meet with us." she said.   
  
"Come on Kari, let's go look for him! There's nothing wrong with asking a  
question!" Patamon said eagerly and rushed off to do so.  
  
"Patamon! Wait!" Kari called, running after him.   
  
"Hey Matt, what do you think of that Takeru kid?" Tai asked.  
  
"Hm? Takeru? He doesn't seem that bad. Why do ask anyway Tai?" Matt asked.  
  
"I don't know... There's just something about him I don't trust. I mean, he's just too  
quiet you know.."   
"You do know that you're talking about the guy who saved Kari's life don't you?"  
Matt reminded. "Besides, so what if he's quiet, to him we're practically strangers, he  
wouldn't be very talkative to people he doesn't even know would he?"  
  
"Guess not, but that cat and him did give me some attitude when we first met  
him." Tai reminded.  
  
"Well, if you call him and Gatomon 'that guy and his cat' I would think they would  
get a little offended."   
"Sheesh, you sure know how to stand up for this guy. Hey do you wonder why he  
looks so much like you Matt? You think he's a long lost relative of yours?" Tai asked.  
  
"He could be.. I don't know. After hearing what Gennai said, I'm not sure what to  
believe in anymore.."   
  
"Yeah, I know what you mean Matt." Tai said in a disturbed tone as well. "But we  
just have to believe in what we know for now right? We don't really have anything else  
just yet. And in my opinion, I think that Takeru guy is just weird! I'm not sure about him  
Matt. There's just something I just can't put my finger on about that kid!"  
  
"Hmph, it'll probably come to you later. But for now, I think you should be nice to  
him. He is a fellow Digidestined and also Kari's savior you know."  
  
"Yeah, all right."  
  
Patamon was a lot faster than she expected, and she soon lost him to the hallways  
of Gennai's house. "Patamon! Hey! Where'd you go? Patamon! Huh?" She soon came by a  
small room where she noticed Takeru stood, all she could see was his back. Ever still and silent,  
looking through a small square window before him in deep  
thought. He reminded her of a cold statue standing alone in the shadows. Kari didn't know  
why, but she was curious about him. There was mystery that flowed around his very being  
and she wondered about him, what he really could be like. She's never really noticed, but  
she didn't really know much about him, yet they shared the same mission. Kari wanted to  
know more about him, but she didn't understand what drove her to. There was just this  
feeling deep inside of her that made her question about him and it also somehow felt like it knew  
who he was.  
  
"Are you all right?" a voice broke in, interrupting her trail of thought. She looked up to face a  
Takeru staring back at her from across the dim room.   
  
"Uh, yeah! I'm okay!" Kari replied quickly. "So, um, what are you looking at?" she  
asked, approaching closer to see through the window as well.   
  
"Just the lake," he said. He hardly changed his tone as he spoke. His voice seem to  
have no hint of emotion what so ever.  
  
"This lake does have a lot of fish to look at." Kari agreed, coming up to stand beside him. "Um, Takeru, I was wondering... uh, why did you decide to join us?" she finally asked. "I mean you barely  
know any of us, but what made you decide to help us?"  
  
"I'm not exactly sure myself. But something seem to tell me that being with you  
and the other Digidestined was in a way, fate. Destiny." he replied turning to her.  
  
'Fate? Destiny?' Those words seem to ring in her head over and over again as she  
looked up into his unfathomable blue eyes. "Is that the only reason Takeru?" she suddenly asked.  
  
"What do you mean?" he asked curiously.  
  
Kari then realized that she had said something and not just thought of it. "Oh,  
sorry! I didn't know what I was saying! Don't pay any attention to it!" she replied  
embarrassed. 'Why did I even say that?!..'  
  
"Anyway, it's nice to have your help. Thank you for deciding to stay with us." Kari  
said grateful. "I know you will do your best to help, and that, I can trust you Takeru."  
  
His eyes widened in surprise at her words. 'I trust you Takeru...?' Those words  
were so sincere and gentle... I.. never remembered words spoken to me so warmly and  
kind..' He thought, standing stunned before her pure, soft smile.   
  
"Hey! Don't you try anything!" something called out. Gatomon suddenly leapt  
from out of no where and came to stand firmly in front of Takeru. "Takeru's my  
Digidestined partner and I won't let anyone take him away without a fight got it!?" she  
yelled fiercely towards Kari.  
  
"Huh?" Kari blinked surprised and confused at the cat digimon's threat.  
  
"And who said she wanted your Digidestined human anyway?!" another voice  
yelled back. Patamon soon appeared hovering before Kari, facing towards Gatomon with  
an equally threatening look.  
  
"You better just make sure she doesn't get too close to him!"  
  
"And who said you can tell her what to do!"   
  
(Enter black background with lighting between Patron's and Gatomon's  
foreheads) Their looks became more fierce towards each other. Their bodies clenched,  
ready for a fight. Things looked like they could turn real ugly, real fast. Kari and Takeru  
looked on standing by, both nervous and confused.   
  
A sound of a clap suddenly broke the tension. "Hugh?" They all turned to the entry  
way of the room where the sound originated. Standing there smugly was no one other  
than Gennai.  
  
"Hmph, well, sorry to disappoint you both but, I'm ready to tell you what I've been  
meaning to tell you all now. So, your battle will have to wait and take place outside! No  
digimon battle in the house!"   
  
"Uh, yes Gennai." they all replied.  
  
"Good, now let's go find the others and tell them the news hm?"  
  
They all gathered into the dining room again and they all sat next to their digimon  
at the low set table. Gennai stood up before them ready, and a little anxiously.   
  
"Everyone all set? All right then," With a sudden swipe, Gennai pulled something  
from behind him. All their eyes perked up and to what now laid in his hands. It was a  
yellow and white-gray laptop. It was slim and it had a strange yellow pineapple symbol on  
the middle of its cover.   
  
"Is that it? That's what you made us wait for?!" Tai yelled in disbelief.   
  
"Now, now it's now just a laptop! It's a very special laptop. This can help you in  
your quest." Gennai said.  
  
"Help us in our quest? How?" Matt asked.   
  
"Here." Gennai lifted the top case and turned the computer on. Little yellow  
pineapples traveled across the screen and soon the screen turned to the main desktop.  
Gennai turned the laptop to face him and typed in some commands. "Have a look see." He  
turned it back to face them. A map laid across the screen.  
  
"Hugh? What's this?" Tai asked.   
  
"This, is a map of the Digital World." Gennai explained. "This can help you to find  
wherever you are in the Digital World, it can also help in directions that I might happen to  
email to you." Gennai explained. He pressed one of the keys and another window came  
up. On this window was an email screen. "You can contact me by emailing me and I'll try  
to answer any questions you might have." He pressed another key and a window with a  
list of files came up. "I retrieved most of these files last night. I'm not exactly sure, but I  
know that there's a lot more than this. Some files might even help you find the other  
Digidestined. They sure helped me a whole bunch." Gennai said.   
  
"What do you mean Gennai?" Kari asked.   
  
A familiar grin came across his face. He clicked on one of the files and a new  
window came up. They all looked on shocked. On the laptop screen was a window that  
had Kari's picture. Beside it was a little bio. It stated her name, age, what crest she has and  
some information on her statistics like where she lived and bits and pieces of her  
personality.   
  
"Wh-What in the heck is that?" Tai asked shocked, and he also sounded a little  
offended. Who wouldn't be after finding a personal file on his own little sister on some  
stranger's computer. "What little freak did that?!"   
  
"Calm down Tai," Gennai said. "There's files on all of you in here." Gennai said,  
quickly clicking to another file. This one was on Tai himself. It stated his full name, what  
digimon he had and its digivolutions, what crest he has, and some other statistics on him  
as well.  
  
"What the? Is this how you found out who we were Gennai?" Matt asked.  
  
"Well, you all were in my memory in some way, but this helped me to get the full  
picture on you and what your digimon were. It sure made it a lot easier to find them."  
Gennai explained.   
  
"Hey, howcome where it states my digimon there's nothing there." Kari asked.   
  
"Hm, oh yes, it took me awhile to try to find out that. I looked through your entire  
file and came upon one digimon's name." Gennai said pointing to a digimon's name in the  
part taking about the relationship with her digimon. It only had scattered words here and  
there, but one word stood out. It stated 'Patamon'.  
  
"It was also the same under Takeru's file." Gennai said clicking to Takeru's file.  
The Digimon space was empty just as in Kari's and in the relationship section were also  
some scattered words and the word Gatomon among them. "You four are the only ones  
so far that I have been able to restore files on. There are four other files as well, but they  
are all empty except for a scrambled picture and the names of the crest. But I shall leave  
the task of completing the rest of them to you once you've found more about the  
Digiestined." Gennai said.  
  
"What?!" they all said at the same time in a confused.  
  
"I'm giving this laptop to you to use. This thing can help you to find more about  
the Digidestined. You can also receive email from me whenever I find some more  
information to help you." Gennai said happily. "And you can be sure I'll do my best to  
help you!" Gennai assured.  
  
"Hey, what's that?" Tai asked looking at a blinking icon on the screen. Everyone  
else took notice to it and drew closer to get a better look. It was the mailbox icon.  
  
"You've got mail," Kari said. With that, she moved the mouse over by using her  
finger on the touchpad and clicked it. There was nothing in the sender box, not even a  
return email address. All there was just one sentence: "Watch out!. She's coming for you!"   
  
"Huh?" Suddenly, a thundering explosion rang through the house.  
"AAAAHHHH!!" The entire house rumbled and everyone trembled from the great force.  
  
"What is that?!" Tai yelled out.  
  
Matt quickly ran over to a nearby window and looked out to see what was causing  
the great explosions that shook the house. Out in the lake's waters was an aquatic army of  
Digimon. A school of blue dolphin-looking digimon surrounded the place. They all  
looked friendly, to an extent, except for the many scars that were all over their bodies.   
  
"It's an army of Dolphmon!" Gabumon exclaimed beyond the blasts.   
  
"PULSE BLAST!" Rings of energy came from their mouths and collided into the grounds  
near the house, spraying up gusts of dust from the underwater floor and rumbling the very  
walls of the building.   
  
"URGH!" Matt and everyone else held tight, trying to hold against the force of the attack.  
"Huh?"   
  
Another shadowy figure appeared out of the lake's depths. It had an red-orange  
snake-like body that was striped in a peachish color. It looked like a ancient Chinese  
dragon with a strange golden plate upon its head.   
  
"That's another problem, MegaSedramon." Gabumon also recognized.  
  
"RIVER OF POWER!" it cried out. Bits of light gathered into the nose part of the golden   
plate, and soon a beam of white light bursted out and headed right for the house.   
  
"Gasp! Everyone look out!" Matt yelled out through the room. No sooner then he  
warned them, a ray of light cut through the part of house behind him. Debri flew up from the blast  
as it past through the house, but no water entered. "Huh?"  
  
"This house is shielded by a barrier to hold back the water, don't worry you won't  
drown anytime soon!" Gennai assured.   
  
"GENNAI!" a cold voice called out, echoing throughout the waters of the lake.  
  
"That voice..." Gennai gasped.   
  
"What was that voice?" Kari asked.  
  
"That, is darkness itself.." Gennai whispered.   
  



	8. Introduction to Darkness

Whew! All done! I'm going to keep trying my hardest to bring out the latest chapters as soon as possible. I was wondering about the readers out there if they would prefer the chapters to be longer or if this length is okay, because I sometimes think they're a little too short. Other than that, I kinda just want to know what others think of it. It might motivate me to go faster! Who knows?! Oh yeah, if you got any questions about this, ask it in a review and I'll try my best to answer them in the next fic, okay? Anyway, I took enough of this space, so here goes, on with the fic!  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon. That's that.  
  
Notes: "talking"  
'thoughts'  
  
Familiar:  
Introduction to Darkness  
by Hitora  
  
  
"GENNAI! I KNOW YOU HAVE THE DIGIDESTINED CHILDREN!  
SURRENDER THEM TO ME AND MY FORCES WILL SPARE YOUR LIFE AND  
YOUR HOUSE!" the voice called out forcefully..  
  
"NEVER! I WILL NEVER BARGAIN WITH THE LIKES OF YOU!" Gennai   
yelled back in response.  
  
"VERY WELL. PREPARE TO DIE FOR YOUR FOOLISHNESS OLD MAN!"   
  
"RIVER OF POWER!" Another blast came from the dragon-like Digimon and cut  
through another portion of the house.   
  
"PULSE BLAST!" An array of energy rings followed crashing into the sides of the  
house.  
  
The house shook and trembled against their attacks, and bits and pieces of wood  
and dust began to rain down from the walls and ceilings around them.   
  
"I don't think this place can handle anymore!" Takeru called out.   
  
"Hmph!" A see-through light screen and keyboard suddenly appeared before  
Gennai. He stood up to it and began to vigorously type on the keys, trying to ignore the  
explosions and blasts that rocked the house.  
  
"What the heck are you doing Gennai?!" Tai yelled out against the constant roars  
of thundering bursts hitting the shaking building.   
  
"I'm modifying the barrier, if I can make some adjustments I can probably stop  
their attacks as well!" Gennai replied.  
  
"Well, better make it quick!" Matt called to him. "I don't think we can take  
anymore of this!"  
  
The house violently moved to and fro from the never-ending attacks. They were all  
barely able to stand on the shifting floors. Each leaned or held onto something to  
support themselves, but it was getting more and more difficult to remain calm in the face of a  
strong, unknown enemy.   
  
"RIVER OF POWER!"  
  
"PULSE BLAST!"   
  
The house took on another series of attacks. But it did not leave without its consequences. A crack split through into the deafening lake.  
  
"Huh?" Kari looked up to see an increasing break rip through the ceiling above her.  
Soon, it no longer held together and gave way.   
  
"KARI! LOOK OUT!"  
  
"AHHHHH!" she looked above her terrified as a shower of falling wood and stone began to rain down towards her.  
  
"KARI!" Patamon flew out and shoved her out of the way of the way. A storm of dust whipped up from her when the debri finally hit the ground.  
  
"Kari!" Tai rushed over to her and knelt beside her. "Are you all right?!" he asked concerned.  
  
"I'm okay." Kari assured, lifting herself off the ground. "Patamon, are you okay?" she asked rushing to lift the round digimon that laid on the ground beside her.   
"I'm okay if you're okay!" he said with a smile.  
  
Kari giggled relieved to hear a remark from her loyal digimon. "That's good, thank you Patamon." she said gratfeul.  
  
"Urghhh, that's it!" Tai yelled out, shooting to his feet. He stomped to the opening that MegaSeadramon created in the side of the house. "No one threatens my sister and friends without a fight! If this darkness wants a Digidestined so bad, then they're going to get one!" Suddenly, without warning, he leapt out through the barrier into the open waters of the lake.   
  
"Tai!" Matt quickly followed and slipped through the barrier into the waters after him.  
  
"TAI! MATT!" Kari cried out horrified. She rushed off the floor and towards the opening that they had escaped through.  
  
"NOW!" With a final slam of one of the keys, the barrier bursted into a bright white light and faded to become a solid defensive wall against the digimon's attacks and any chance of Tai and Matt reentering the house.  
  
Kari didn't reach it in time and was suddenly stopped by an invisible wall. "TAI! MATT!" she cried out, pounding the barrier before her. "No! Gennai!" she called back.  
  
"Kari, no." Takeru said beside her. "We can't let go of the barrier or we might get attacked by those digimon out there." he reminded.   
  
"How can you say that?! They're out there all by themselves, they even forgot their digimon!" Kari said looking back at the equally worried Agumon and Gabumon. "Tai's my brother and Matt is my friend! I can't just leave them there! I have to try to help them!" she yelled back at him.  
  
"But if we put down the barrier, you might lose your life, and if that happens you might never see them again." he reminded.  
  
Kari looked on at him shocked, and realized the truth behind his words.  
  
"Don't worry Kari, they're both very strong. They can make it." Patamon assured.  
  
'That's not good...' Tai and Matt both thought as they watched the barrier become reenforced. Matt had managed to catch Tai just in time to see the house glow a white light against them. They both floated side by side in the cold waters of the lake scourning their awful luck. But that was not the only problem, after a few moments they soon looked up to see thousands of eyes locked onto them from all directions. They were surrounded.   
  
'Urgh! Tai! How can he even of thought of coming out here like this?! Didn't he know about how dangerous it is?!' Matt thought frustrated at his hotheaded friend that swam nearby.  
  
They waited tensely, watching every little twitch and flap that the digimon did, ever waiting for their all out attack that was sure to destroy them both. They could try to escape them, but there was no place to escape to. They were trapped and there's was nothing that they could do about it. Few more moments passed, and the digimon strangely did not attempt to even approach them.  
  
'What's going on?' Tai wondered, looking around confused at the still, threatening figures that seem to just swim around them. 'Why aren't they attacking?'  
  
"HAHAHAHA!" A crackling, evil laugh broke through the stillness of the waters. Matt and Tai became alert to the sound and looked around for its source, but found no one. "HMMM... TWO FOOLISH DIGIDESTINED.. HOW BRAVE YOU BOTH ARE TO DARE TO STAND AGAINST ME." Soon, an odd bubble-like struture surrounded them and held them. Stranger still, all the water was gone from the bubble and they could breathe within the structure.  
  
"Wh-What's going on?!" Tai exclaimed shocked.  
  
"HMPH, A LITTLE COURTESY OF MINE. DON'T BE ALARMED, JUST YET..." The voice responded. The bubbles jolted a little forward, and Tai and Matt rocked from the unexpected force. They looked around and saw the waters begin to past by them and a swirl of air bubbles once and awhile .  
  
"We're moving.." Matt realized as he watched Gennai's house begin to look smaller and smaller below him.  
  
"Yeah, so where exactly do you think we're moving to?" Tai asked.  
  
"How should I know?" Matt looked above at the water's surface closely approaching them. "Do you think it's that dark voice Gennai was mumbling about?" he asked.  
  
"If it is then I'm glad for this little bubble.." Tai said, still determined to avenge the threat to his little sister.  
  
"Are you crazy?! If you hadn't of done this in the first place we wouldn't be stuck in this mess!" Matt reminded.  
  
"I won't let this evil, no matter what it is get away in trying to kill us Matt!"  
  
"You could of gotten yourself killed!"   
  
"NOW, NOW.." the unknown voice called out. They both looked above to see the waters of the lake begin to roll away from the surface of the bubble as they emerged into the open sky above the surrounded the lake. "YOU SHOULDN'T ARGUE WITH FRIENDS YOU KNOW..."  
  
The remaining films of the water began to slide away, becoming only little drops rippling on the surface of the lake. The bubble became clear to the world and to a mysterious figure and that stood on the shore before them.   
  
"Hmph, hm, it is such a pleasure to finally meet you." The mysterious figure greeted with a very familiar voice. The mysterious figure looked like a tall, slender girl that looked about their own age. Her skin was snow white. Her hair was a very light blue and it was pinned up in loops behind her head. She wore a light blue outift decorated in dark blue and white that resembled a kimono, except it that the hemline was just above the knee. Her eyes, her eyes were the most noticeable feature upon her. They were an empty, endless crimson that seemed to stare into the very soul and fill it with a heart-wreching fear and darkness.   
  
"Wh-who are you?" Tai asked, startled at the stranger before them.   
  
"Hmph, Digidestined of Courage, Digidestined of Friendship, I am the vessel of Darkness itself. I am Yumemon." she declared.  
  
"Are you human? Or some kind of Digimon?" Matt asked wondering.   
  
"I am neither, yet both.." she said in a smooth, cold whisper. "But that is not important, there is one thing though that you two should know," The ground slowly began to be left below her feet, and she floated towards them until she was right in front of the clear bubbles they were trapped within. "I am the one who is to destroy you."   
  
They both drew back shocked at her words. "Wh-what? Wait, it's you, you're the one who sent all those Digimon after us!" Tai realized.  
  
"Why are you doing this?! We've done nothing wrong to you!" Matt shouted back at her.  
  
But she simply just closed her eyes and smiled at his words.  
  
"The Digidestined will be completely eliminated. That is the will of Darkness. That, is my will.." she said looking up at them with the very stare of evil itself. She let out a simple laugh of amusement at them standing afraid and confused before her.   
  
"GAH!" Tai cried out as a hand suddenly gripped around his neck. The bubble around him faded away, and he was being suspended in air by the hold of the hand choking him.  
  
"TAI!" Matt turned to see his best friend being held in the strong grasp of Yumemon. 'How..? She's so fast. I didn't even see her move..'  
  
"Urgh.." Tai choked out as the grasp seem to clamp harder. He gripped her arm, trying to relieve the hold around him.  
  
"Two of the most powerful Digidestined, waiting in my grasp. How easy it would be for the others to fall if, in this moment I were to destroy you, Taichi Kamiya. The leader of the prodescendent Digidestined, the one who is said to hold the Digidestined together... If in this moment, I were to destroy you the Digidestined would fall one by one so effortlessly, like the petals of a dying flower." she said in a cold voice, that seemed to have hints of excitement at the time leading to his death. "And look," she said, turning to Matt standing beside them, helpless to save Tai.  
  
"I can kill two birds with one stone. I can kill a bit of the light of Friendship that is fated to glow in this one, by destroying you, his best friend." she said.   
  
"Th-that will never happen..." Tai choked out.   
  
"What's that?" Yumemon asked, fiercely turning back to him.  
  
"You will never destroy me.... We will find the others... we will save this world... and we will never-" but his words were cut short by a sudden shot of pain that began streaming throughout his upper body.   
  
"TAAAII!" Matt cried out. Matt looked on in horror as he saw three long nails coming out of the back of Tai's shoulder, each drenched in his best friend's blood.   
  
"My, you are a rude one." Yumemon said to him with a icy look.  
  
Tai fought against it. Against the pain, against the deep agony trying to force him to cry out. He held in his breath, gritted his teeth, he would not give into it, he would not surrender to her. "Ugh," he managed to open his eyes against the pain to look straight at her with a face of pure determination. "..We will never give into you..." A sudden light bursted from his Digivice after he uttered his words and Yumemon drew back from the unexpected force.   
She focused her eyes, trying to fight against the light coming from the strong-willed boy in her grasp. "Wh- What is this?!"   
  



	9. Champions

YES! YES! I'M FINALLY FINISHED! A little warning, there are some scenes with blood, but not exactly gruesome. (I don't think anyway..) I'm also thinking of putting this under a General title, instead of Action/Adventure, because some more romantic elements are going to come in and it sounds like this would fit more better under General, so you might want to watch for that just to warn ya again. Oh, yeah, to a question in one of my reviews: Gomamon is coming! Just be a little patient. Arigato! Well, now, it's late, and I need my sleep. (About 5:13 a.m.) So, read the fic and hope you enjoy!   
  
Disclaimer: Do not own Digimon.  
  
Notes: 'thoughts'  
"talking"  
  
  
Familiar:  
Champions  
by Hitora  
  
"Huh?" Agumon shot up suddenly.   
  
"What is it Agumon?" Kari asked worried.  
  
"I don't know Kari... but, I feel really strange somehow..." After uttering these words, uneven from the unknowing, his form was swallowed up in an orange light.  
  
"Agumon? Agumon!" Kari cried out frightened as she saw him suddenly disappear before her.  
  
A shot of orange light ran up through the dark waters of the lake and past the surface of lake before them. Yumemon, Matt, and Tai all quickly turned to see the shining light that seem to cover the entire surrounding forests in an orange glow.   
  
"What?! What now?!" Yumemon cried out.  
  
"AGUMON DIGIVOLVE TO.....GREYMON!!"  
  
The light transformed into a gigantic dinosaur that leapt to the shore behind it with a mighty rumble. It was huge and resembed a T-rex. The large digimon body's was orange with blue stripes along the sides. Its menacing teeth and claws were white and its round eyes were a red color. It wore a brown, helmet that covered half its head. The helmet had two spikes coming from the sides and a long horn at the end of its snout.   
  
"What is that?!" Matt wondered in shock at the sudden appearence of the giant creature.  
  
"I can't believe this! That little dino digivolved into the Champion stage!" Yumemon yelled out frustrated and surprised. "He's become Greymon.." Her words like a hissing snake.   
  
A fiery glow rose from his mouth and bits of flames escaped between his teeth. It opened its huge mouth to reveal sparks and flames forming within. The flames began to become more tame and circled to form together in an ominous round ball. "NOVA BLAST!" It shot out the giant fireball towards the shocked Yumemon.  
  
"Hmph," With her free hand, she easily swiped away the attack. "DO YOU THINK YOU CAN DEFEAT ME?! ONE WRONG MOVE AND YOUR POWER TO DIGIVOLVE IS BUT A MEMORY!" she threatened, gripping harder around Tai's neck. Greymon came to realize his Digidestined partner could become seriously hurt and didn't even dare to move.  
  
'Oh no, Tai.' Matt thought worried. 'She's determined in destroying us. She probably will just kill him anyway and Greymon too.' Matt suspected worried. 'What can I do? My friend is about to get killed and there's nothing I can do!' Matt thought hopelessly. 'No! There has to be something, I won't give up on my friends! I will never give up on my friends!' Suddenly, the same kind of light that came from Tai's Digivice bursted from his own, only it was light blue.   
  
Gabumon's senses suddenly shot up. "Matt.."  
  
"What do you think happened to Agumon? Gabumon, what is it?" Kari asked worried to the blank gazed digimon beside her. But no sooner did she ask, did Gabumon became a form of blue light and vanished as well. "Gabumon? What's going on?" Kari whispered to herself, fearing the worse for her brother, his best friends and now their vanishing digimon.  
  
"Huh?" A light blue came above the waters and glew its brilliance just as bright as the one before. "Gabumon?" Matt recognized.  
  
Yumemon noticed it as well and turned around to face it. "No! Not another one!"  
  
"GABUMON DIGIVOLVE TO...GARURUMON!!"  
  
"Garurumon?" Matt watched as a large white-blue wolf landed to the shore opposite of Greymon. It looked like a giant grey-blue wolf with dark blue stripes over its body. It had a long, slim tail with a tuft at the end and a sort of mane coming from the sides of its head.   
  
"HOWLING BLASTER!" He called out and a blaze of blue flame fired out from Garurumon's mouth. Yumemon quickly avoided the attack by gliding away from its path. It passed by her and into the bubble that stood behind her. Matt drew back from the bubble's outer shell as the attack collided into a burst of blue light before him. A crack shot through his ears and caught his attention. He concentrated his eyes on the bubble's round shell and saw it begin to break from Garurumon's blast, the white cracks centered on the where the blue flame had struck kept growing and growing throughout the entire structure until it finally shattered away. Matt fell away with the remains of the bubble diving straight towards the lake's waters. Garurumon leapt into the air and caught him onto his back, landing on the shore where Greymon stood.   
  
"Urgh, huh?" Matt rose to his arms off the large blue wolf's back and realized, after the shock had faded away, that Garurumon had freed and saved him. "Whew, thanks Garurumon."   
  
"Your welcome Matt, but I think we have a bigger problem to concentrate on now." Garurumon replied looking above at Yumemon, hovering smugly, still holding Tai captive in her locked grip. The nails imbedded in his shoulder still remained, making rivers of blood that stained the back of Tai's shirt grow more and more with each passing moment.  
  
"Tai..!" Matt exclaimed shocked at the sight. His eyes twitched in anger and frustration as he began to feel the immense pressure and fear for his friend begin to build. 'Urgh, we have to get him out of there! But I can't let Garurumon or Greymon attack knowing I might hit Tai too..'  
  
"Matt!!" Tai called out to him, mustering all his strength to do so. Matt quickly looked up to his friend's call. "...What are you doing?! Attack!" Tai said out to him. Matt drew back, shocked at his words.  
  
"I can't do that! You might get in the blast too!" he yelled back.  
  
"For-Forget about me! Attack!" Tai commanded to him.   
  
"No! I won't do that! I won't hurt you!" Matt refused fiercely.   
  
"MATT! You have to do this for everyone! Forget about me! GAH!" Yumemon's fingers wrapped tighter around his neck, silencing him to only a cry and gasps.   
  
"That's enough out of you.." she hissed.   
  
"Urghhh..." he groaned, feeling the pain begin to settle in throughout his body. His head was becoming light from the choking holds, but he couldn't faint away, not from the stinging jabs of pain that kept him latched to harsh reality.   
  
"You are the most foolish of them all.. You're willing to risk your own life in the hopes that you might defeat me and save the others, This is a useless effort, for you all are going to be destroyed."  
  
"NO! NEVER! I'm not afraid of you or your empty threats! I'm not afraid of losing my life if that means I can save the others!" he yelled out forcefully at her. Her face became more stern and impatient with him and the nails in his shoulder extended longer through his shoulder. Matt watched, frocing himself not to turn away. Not from the bravery Tai displayed before Yumemon and the determination he had to go on. He couldn't turn away. He couldn't help but feel uplifted by his spirit and understand why now he was called the Digidestined of Courage. Within moments of these thoughts, did a glowing orange outline of light began to eminate around Tai's form before his eyes.  
  
"What?" Matt concentrated harder, trying to figure out just what he was seeing. 'What's that light?'  
  
"Urgh, Matt you have to do this! Attack her! Greymon! Garurumon!" Tai called out, signaling them to launch their attacks.  
  
"STOP!" Matt commanded strongly, quickly cutting off their attempts to build up their attacks. "Tai is our friend. I won't just let anyone hurt him like that. I won't be responsible for purposely hurting my friends!"  
  
'Matt... That hothead, does he have to be such a good friend?' Tai thought, annoyed at Matt's refusal to follow his demands, yet he also felt admiration for him in upholding the strength of their friendship. A light blue glow seem to grow from the outline of Matt's form as he looked down on his best friend. Tai's eyes grew wide surprised at the sight, he squinted his eyes on him just to make sure he wasn't hallucinating from the pain. 'What the heck is that?'  
  
Suddenly, that entire lake below Yumemon and Tai began to glow. Yumemon watched with narrowed eyes as the waters far beneath her feet fade away to a white light. Rays of that white light bursted out of the surface of the lake, bringing up shots of water as well. "What's this..?" she hissed. The light glew brighter and brighter below her and finally it erupted into a enormous beam of energy that surrounded and blinded her. She shrieked, totally startled from the light that whipped around her body. She used her free arm to try shield her eyes away from it. Tai realized that there was a loss of grip on his neck. He quickly gathered all his strength, everything he had left in his entire being, to grasp onto Yumemon's arm that held him, he didn't have much time. With a swift pull, he forced out the hand and claws from his body with a spray of blood exploding out, staining Yumemon's arm. A burst of pain gathered into his wound, making all the other pain from before seem to fade away. He fell away motionless with a sastisfied smile crossing his face.   
  
"Garurumon!" Matt quickly pointed to him, making the grey-blue wolf take notice of the his falling form floating away from the wide-eyed Yumemon. Garurumon swiftly ran to the edge of the shore and quickly leapt into flight. He glided over the lake once more, catching the near lifelessTai onto his back. He easily landed on the opposite shore. "Tai!" Matt turned to face his friend, who's blood began to stain the fur red on Garurumon's back. "Tai! Are you all right?!!" he called out worried as he came beside him.  
  
He cringed at the pain in his shoulder and opened his eyes to him with that same cocky smile. Still weak and lightheaded he asked,"So, you gonna attack now?"   
  
Matt responded with a smile of relief and joy to see him still acting like his old self. But the tranquil moment soon faded, as Matt still remembered the situation at hand. He turned around to face Yumemon in the middle of the lake, still caught up in the lake's light. "Greymon! Garurumon!" he called out to them, telling them to go on the offensive.  
  
"NOVA BLAST!"  
  
"HOWLING BLASTER!"   
  
The two attacks flew out from the Digimon's mouths heading directly at Yumemon. Unfortunately, she had managed to break free of the light's hold on her and flew above the attacks, causing them to collide into eachother in a giant explosian. Greymon and Garurumon continued to attack on, firing one Nova Blast or Howling Blaster after another. She either swiped away the attacks or dodged around them. It seemed that she was moving around forcefully, trying to avoid getting hit.   
  
Matt lifted Tai's right arm across his shoulders and climbed off Garurumon's back, aiding him safely to stand upon the ground. "MATT! TAI!" he heard and turned towards the voices. He saw a very concerned Kari run along the shore of the lake to him with her Patamon flying beside her, followed by Gennai, Takeru, and Gatomon.   
  
"Kari?" he said in disbelief as she rushed to stand before him. "How'd you get here?"   
  
"Gennai had a special way through the lake." Takeru replied. "He also modified the forcefield around his house to expand throughout the entire lake to knock the Digimon around the house unconscious."   
  
'So that was the light from the lake...' Matt realized.  
  
"Are you all right Matt?!" Kari asked, breaking his thoughts. "I-er, we were all worried about you!"   
  
"Um, I'm fine, but Tai needs some serious help." Matt replied, looking over at Tai's shoulder to let the others see what he was referring to. Kari let out a gasp of shock.  
  
"Tai! What happened to you?!" she cried out running beside him to examine his shoulder more closely.   
  
"Yumemon's what happened to me.." he mumbled, still aching from his wound. Matt settled him down to allow him to rest on the ground.  
  
"Yumemon? What's that?" Kari asked with a confused look.   
  
"That's what Greymon and Garurumon are fighting." Matt said.  
  
"Greymon and Garurumon?" Kari replied with a more confused look. She followed their gazes to the battle that waged beside them. "You mean that orange dinosaur and huge wolf?" she asked, watching as the two mighty digimon launched attack after attack.  
  
"Yeah, Agumon digivolved into Greymon and Gabumon into Garurumon." Matt explained. "And that figure they're fighting calls herself Yumemon." he said pointing to snow-white figure that flew around dodging and hitting away Greymon and Garurumon's attacks. "We don't know exactly what she is. All we do know is that she's been the one who's been attacking us. I don't know why, but she wants to destroying us, the Digidestined." Matt explained in a lowered, disturbed voice. Kari listened to every word with growing fear, while Gennai and Takeru stood by silently, sinking in all the new information.   
  
"YOU REALLY THINK YOU CAN DEFEAT ME SO EASILY?!" she yelled out in a chiling, unyielding voice.   
  
"Garurumon! Greymon!" Tai called out encouraging them. The digimon nodded and fired their specialized attacks at her. The flames of blue and orange flew across the bright clear sky directly at her.  
  
"Hmph," With a couple of quick swipes with one hand, she threw the attacks away. Each attack lost its shape and faded away with the flow of her hand. A mocking smile curved across her face, "Foolish Digidestined! Do you really expect to harm me?!"  
  
"Hm?" A twinge in her mind caught her attention and she turned towards the lakes' waters. "Well, well, I can see that you had defeated my forces... Aren't you the clever bunch?" she remarked crossly. Yumemon lifted a pale-white hand to the sky and the bodies of the enemy digimon within the depths became consumed with a white light and disappeared from the dark blue waters. Her look was more serious now, it didn't hold a smile of confidence or evil playfulness as before. Now, it was stern and dark with contempt. "Lost little children, it seems that I will allow you win this round, but rest assured, I will be the one to destroy you...." she said in a voice filled with hatred and darkness. Yumemon floated higher into the air and flew off to her retreat, suddenly disappearing from sight in a few moments.   
  
A sense of relief settled across the Digidestined, digimon, and Gennai as Yumemon's form vanished before their eyes. Garurumon's and Greymon's forms became outlines of yellow light and shrank to become Gabumon and Agumon again. They happily ran to their respected partners, filled with sastisfaction that they had managed to drive Yumemon away.   
  
"You did a good job Gabumon," Matt replied proudly to his digimon standing before him.  
  
"Thank you Matt!"   
  
"Way to go Agumon! You showed her didn't ya pal!?" Tai said, energetically congratulating the small orange dino with rubs on his head (with his good arm, of course).   
  
"Hmph, hm, I did didn't I Tai!" he replied with laughs.  
  
Kari placed a hand to her chest and sighed with relief. "I'm just glad everyone's still safe." she said.   
  
"Yeah, it was a close one wasn't it?" Tai replied, slowly rising from the ground. Gripping his shoulder and finching from the shots of pain.   
  
"Oh Tai! We better go wrap those up or they might get infected," Kari suggested, quickly coming to her brother's side and helping to walk towards the lake.   
  
"You worry too much Kari," he said, in a very tired tone.   
  
"Well, someone has to watch out for you don't they?" she said back with a playful smile.   
  
"Hmph, and just my luck it had to be you.." Tai remarked sarcastically.  
  
"Oh, be quiet." Kari replied back at him. "Aren't you suppose to be weak when you're bleeding from the shoulder?"   
  
"What? Me? Weak?" Tai remarked.   
  
"Show-off,"   
  
"Hmph," Matt chuckled as he followed behind them back to the lake where the special passage had begun to appear. 'They really are brother and sister,' he thought amused as he watched the two talking back and forth as they descended the steps to the remains of Gennai's house.   
  
Gennai walked slowly behind, but stopped in his tracks to realize that there was one that was not part of the group. He turned around and noticed Takeru and Gatomon standing silently, staring at the sky where Yumemon once was. Gennai watched them with a look that was absent of his usual smile and he stood strangely still and silent. Takeru blinked his eyes, losing the trance he was in as he noticed the mysterious old man standing by observing him. He came to face the same expression that Gennai had given him when they had first met, and once again felt the uneasiness that came from the stare. But, Gennai's expression soon changed to that of his usual smile and curled eyes. "You coming Takeru?" he called out to him.   
  
"Um, yes. Sorry." Takeru replied shakily, still recovering from the memory of Gennai's disturbing look. He ran over to catch up with the others, looking to the ground to avoid the old man's eyes. Gatomon quickly followed, giving Gennai a suspicious glare as she passed. 'Why does he look at me like that?'  
  
"Urghhhhh..." Yumemon moaned as she sank into her large twisted stone throne that stood under a dim circle of light in the dark, undefinable room.   
  
"What is the matter master?" another voice asked.  
  
"I clearly underestimated the Digidestined. I'm afraid they've developed further in their powers, and possibly revived two of their crests as well." she sighed in dismay.   
  
"Well then, allow me to assist you master." a smooth voice called out through the darkness. A tall figure stepped into the dim light surrounding her throne. They were dressed in an outfit that resembled a clown. It consisted of a red coat that puffed out around their shoulders and frilled around his waist. It had white ruffles beyond it's sleeves and around his collar. They also wore puffy light green pants and yellow boots that were pointed at the toe. A mask that was half black and half white stood over most of their face, showing only his evil red eyes and pale chin and black lips. Their orange hair stood at an angle from their head behind that mask. Two blue ribbons streamed from his back, on which stood an X shaped arrangment of four swords. "You know that I have been anxious to use my powerful 'weapon' since their arrival in the Digiworld."   
  
"Ah, yes. I remember Piedmon." Yumemon replied searching her memory. "Hmmm.." an evil smile formed across her face, delighted at the unknown idea brewing her mind that the clown digimon sparked. "Hmph, hm, very well Piedmon!" she consented with amusement flowing in her voice.  
  
"I am most grateful for this honor master. I'll try not to disappoint you." he assured bowing to her before disappearing into the darkness.  
  
"Hmph, hm. It's about time to reveal another actor into this little drama."   
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	10. The Assassin

Sorry it took so long to put up the next part! I just had ( and still do) so much to do! Anyway, this part reveals the 'new actor' in Yumemon's and Piedmon's plans, and you've probably guessed they're not going to play nice with the Digidestined. Anyway, enough with the delays! On with the fic!  
  
Disclaimer: Don't own Digimon. Don't need to say more.  
  
Notes: 'thoughts' "talking"  
  
  
Familiar  
by Hitora  
Chapter Ten: The Assassin  
  
The room was dark all around her, except for a slip of dim light that shone down onto her and her throne. Her eyes were filled with anticipation, unknown still, was the reason behind them. Her fingers tapped routinely upon the armrest, ever thinking of the havok she can do. Finally, her hand halted and room was once again silent. A mischevious grin formed on her face, and a soft chuckle esaped her lips. "It's time.. "  
  
Far into the Digital World, there stood a tall, dark mountain.This mountain stood high above in an unknown area of the Digital World. It was bleek and gray, with no signs of life upon the barren ground. The wind whirled in frightening howls over its dark sands, echoeing through the nothingness of the land. A lone grey cylinder-shaped building stood amoung it, tall and silent. Dark clouds hung above the structure, swirling around over its rounded top in thick, black circles that constantly rumbled with thunder and flashed with lightning. An opening was in the roof where a large telescope that looked out beyond into the digital world stood. Sitting contently under it was an observing Piedmon, with a wine glass standing between his fingers, swirling with a purple-red wine. After a simple little sip, a beep came from behind him.  
  
"Piedmon!" The moment was soon broken by a sudden call. A screen appeared hovering in the room with the polygon-looking face of the ominous Yumemon.   
  
"Ah, mistress." Piedmon said, greeting the image. He rose from his chair to stand under the floating screen. "It's such a lovely day in the Digital World don't you think? You can practically feel the excitement in the air." he said with a smooth, anxious voice.   
  
"Quit the small talk Piedmon, is everything set?" she asked impatiently.   
  
"Hm, let us see hm?" Piedmon turned to face the shadows of the room behind him. A figure appeared silently from the darkness, cloaked in the shadows, and waiting for the words of their masters. "Is everything prepared?" Piedmon asked of the mysterious figure.  
  
"Yes."   
  
  
"Hm, that's odd." Gennai commented as he looked over the yellow/ white labtop that he was showing to them before.  
  
"What is it Gennai?" Matt asked.  
  
"There appears to be something different on this map." Gennai explained. "Here, take a look for yourselves." Gennai took the sides of the screen and turned the labtop around to face them. On the screen there were two blinking lights on the map of the Digital World. These blinking lights stood nearly side by side eachother, and they also made a slight beeping noise every time they blinked. One was a light blue color and the other was an orange color.   
  
"What are they?" Patamon asked, looking at the lights continuously blinking on the screen.  
  
"I'm not sure exactly, this is a new feature to me." Gennai admitted.  
  
"Hmm.." Matt looked closely at the light, examining it throughly through his mind, as if the he had seen the light from somewhere before.  
  
"Hey, that light looks sort of like the one I saw coming from you Matt," Tai said to him as Kari was wrapping up his shoulder.  
  
"What?" Matt asked turning back to him. "What are you talking about Tai?" wondering what his friend meant.   
  
"That light, I saw it glowing around you when I was being held by Yumemon and I told you to attack, but you refused to." Tai explained.  
  
"That's weird, I didn't see myself glowing no light blue light." Matt said back mockingly. "But, that orange light..." he said, looking back at the orange blinker that stood beside the blue one. "I saw that light with the exact same color coming from you Tai." Matt admitted.  
  
"Really?" Tai replied back.  
  
"Yeah, I saw it when you were standing up to Yumemon, right before Agumon digivolved into that dino, Greymon." Matt explained.  
  
"Heh, well, I definately didn't see myself glow that color of light. Ow, hey!" Tai said towards Kari, who was just finishing bandaging his shoulder. "That hurts.."  
  
"Oh, stop being such a baby." Kari said back.  
  
"Ugh, anyway. What do you think that has anything to do with those lights?" Tai asked, hissing from between his teeth.  
  
"Hmm... I know!" Gennai suddenly declared. Everyone nearly jumped at his announcement, and turned to him, waiting to shower his all knowing wisdom.   
  
"You do? What is it Gennai?" Matt asked shocked and anxious to hear the old man's answer.   
  
"I'm not exactly sure..." Everyone sweatdrops.   
  
"Then, why did you say you knew when you didn't?!" Tai yelled back annoyed.  
  
"I sort of an idea of what it is. In theory, I believe it to be you and Matt's crests."   
  
Everyone straightened up, bursting into shock at the unexpected words.   
  
"O-Our crests?" Matt said, still stunned.  
  
"Yes. I believe that the orange light is the light from the crest of Courage and the blue one is the crest of Friendship." Gennai explained. Everyone remained motionless, still processing those words.  
  
Tai (obviously) was the first to break free of the shock into a fit of joy. "ALL RIGHT!! We've found two crests!" he cried out shooting up onto his feet, shaking everyone out of their frozen states. "This is great! We already got two of the crests we need to revive our powers right?" Tai asked, turning to Gennai.  
  
"I believe so," Gennai agreed. "But I'm not exactly sure that those are your crests Tai." Gennai reminded.  
  
"Well, we have to go and see for ourselves right? So! What's everyone sitting around here for?! Let's go!" Tai called out to the other Digidestined.   
  
"Are you sure Tai? You were just in a battle," Kari reminded.   
  
"And don't forget that little bleeding shoulder you have too, Tai." Matt reminded.   
  
"Matt's right. You should at least get a little rest." Kari reminded.   
  
"Yeah Tai, you were hurt pretty bad," Agumon said from beside him. "Besides, I'm a little hungry."   
  
"I am too," Gabumon declared, putting one of his claws to his stomach.  
  
Tai sighed. "Geez, gang up on me.. All right, we'll rest for awhile and you can go eat." Tai surrendered.  
  
"You sure? You're not going to run off and leave me behind again are you?" Agumon asked suspiciously.  
  
"Heh, of course not! I'll never do that again." Tai said, regretting his previous action.  
  
"Great! Let's get to the kitchen Gabumon! I'm starving!" Agumon quickly ran to the kitchen as fast as his stubby legs can allow, and he was closely followed by the dog-looking digimon.  
  
Kari chuckled. "They remind me of hungry little kids." she remarked. "I think I'll go see if I can help them." Kari said, rising up to follow them.  
  
"Yeah, I'll come along too." Matt said, rising to his feet.  
  
"Really Matt?" Kari asked, unable to believe her ears, sounding too good to be true.   
  
"Yeah, I think I'll cook something for those two as a thanks for saving us." Matt said.  
  
Kari's happiness faded. 'Aw, I thought he just wanted to be with me..' she thought disappointed.   
"Something wrong Kari?" Matt asked, noticing that she wasn't moving towards the kitchen.  
  
"Ah, nope! Let's go cook something for those digimon!" she said, hiding behind her smile.'Well, at least I'll be near him.'  
  
  
After the digimon ate, they all gathered again into Gennai's living room. "You ready now?" Tai asked impatiently.  
  
"Yep! Let's go!" Agumon said, happy with a full stomach.  
  
"Hm, it looks like a long way from here, it might take us awhile." Takeru stated while looking at the computer screen.   
  
"Well then we better get started," Tai reminded. "It might take us awhile, but I'm going to get that crest!" he said determined.  
  
"Actually, I think I can help you get there a lot faster." Gennai declared. They all turned to him stepping back into the room with a large brown side bag in his hands.   
  
"Hm? What's with the brown bag Gennai?" Kari asked curiously.  
  
But, Tai had quickly interrupted Gennai's response and rushed before him. "How can you get us there faster?!" he asked anxiously.  
  
"Well, actually Kari and Takeru can," Gennai corrected. "You see, there are ports littered all over the Digiworld. They're actually TVs. You can access them by the labtop, let me show you." Gennai suggested. He came to stand before the yellow and white labtop standing on the low set table. He came to a map of the digital world and moved the mouse over near the blue and orange blinking lights on the screen. "Ah, there seem to one port quite nearby." He clicked on one of the white squares and a digital port window appeared in the screen. "Okay, now what you have to do is have either Takeru or Kari put their digivices before the screen and yell 'Digiport Open!' and you'll be transferred to that area. You can also return back to the computer you came through by going through TVs, and only Takeru's and Kari's digivices can open these ports. It'd be best to remember that." Gennai advised them.   
  
"That's great. Um, but what about that bag you got there Gennai?" Kari asked again.  
  
"Oh this, well, call this an emergency kit. In case you get stranded out there, I've provided you some supplies." Gennai said, handing the bag to her. She decided to take a look at the supplies, so, she opened up the buckle and opened up the sack. Inside was some food and a major first aid kit.   
  
"Uh, thanks Gennai." Kari said surprised. "But are you really sure that it's necessary?" she asked.   
"You can never be too sure out there." Takeru replied.  
  
"Hm? How do you know if you've never been out there before?" Tai asked suspiciously.  
  
"It just makes sense. We've encountered many unfriendly beings in this world so far, we do not know what else could be out there." Takeru replied.   
  
"Yeah, I guess you're right." Tai agreed. "Okay! We all set now!? Let's get going!" Tai cried out impatiently. "Come on Kari! Open that Digi-port!"  
  
"All right, let's see." Kari reached over and grasped her digivice. She held it before the screen, as Gennai had described to do. "Okay, DIGI-PORT OPEN!" Immediately, a white flash erupted from the screen and drew them all into the the computer.  
  
"Whoa!" Within moments, they all had landed out of a TV screen into a wide, open forest.   
  
"Where are we?" Kari asked, looking around. The trees were tall and wide, but the forest was very spacious, and the streams of sunlight easily broke through the green canopy. They all came to their feet, and looked in every direction to try to find some clue to where they are. "Do you think this is the area that Gennai pointed to?" Kari asked.   
  
A strange light and beep suddenly came from their digivices almost right after Kari's question. "Huh?" Tai lifted his digivice off his belt and looked into the little screen upon it. A small area of a map and a four glowing lights blinked on the screen. "Hey, I think this is where we are." Tai said back to everyone.  
  
"This is the area that Gennai pointed to on that laptop." Takeru reminded.  
  
"That means we're close to the crests." Matt said.  
  
"Right." Takeru then pressed one of the buttons upon his digivice and another screen appeared. The crest's symbols were upon it. "The area where your crests are in this direction." Takeru said, pointing towards the east.   
  
"Man, you're pretty good at this kind of thing aren't you?" Kari replied impressed.  
  
"Yeah, well, let's go get those crests then!" Tai said anxiously.  
  
The forests were covered in an eerie stillness. Nothing but the slight crumble of some fallen branches or the invisible wind rustling through the trees could be heard. Not even birds chirped their cheery songs in this forest. Needless to say, the Digidestined were a little alert as they made their way through it. Tai, didn't really show it, locked totally to the little screen on his digivice guideing him to his goal. Kari looked around constantly, as if she was searching for something.   
  
"Is something wrong Kari?" Patamon asked concerned.  
  
"There's no creatures in this forests. Nothing.. Not even more of those digimon Gennai mentioned." Kari noticed.   
  
"Yeah, that is weird. I wonder why that is," Patamon agreed.  
  
"Why does that matter? You scared?" Gatomon teased.  
  
"Hmph! Yeah right! Who'd be scared of a dum old forest!?" Patamon replied back strongly.   
  
"Hey, you two should concentrate on finding those crests!"Tai yelled back to them.   
  
"Hmph," they both turned away from eachother and continued on silently. Unknown to them, they were actually not alone in those forests. Silently, hidden with stealth a figure was waiting.  
  
"The Digidestined are approaching the crests." one voice warned.  
  
"Very well. Let us begin then,"  
  
"Huh?" Matt stopped in his tracks. A sudden chill gripped him, and brought him to a startled halt.  
  
"What is it Matt?" Gabumon asked.  
  
"Huh? Uh, it-it's nothing." Matt replied, and continued to follow the others. Gabumon understood how Matt was, he wasn't going to force him to say anything if he didn't want to say anything to him. So, he ignored it and continued on beside him.  
  
'What was that feeling?' Matt wondered.   
  
"The crests should only be about a few minutes away." Takeru declared.  
  
"Hey! We're almost there!" Tai yelled back to everyone. He then turned back to his digivice, excited to see the close approaching crests. But when he looked back at his screen, he saw that the crests had moved a little distance more from them. "Huh?" The symbols representing the crests then moved a little more further away. "What the?" The crests remained still on the screen for a moment, but then they began to travel quickly across the map and further away. "HEY! The crests are- they're getting away!" Tai called back to the group. They all looked down on their own digivices and realized it too.   
  
"Come on Agumon!" Tai said to his digimon. "Let's go get them!"   
  
"Right!" With that, they both darted off after the escaping crests.  
  
"Hey! Wait!" Kari called and chased after them, closely followed by Patamon, Takeru, Gatomon, Matt, and Gabumon.   
  
The symbols began to appear again on the screen and they were closely gaining on them, but suddenly one crest separated from the other and traveled away in a different direction. Tai braked in the area they had separated.  
  
"What is it Tai?" Agumon asked.   
  
"They've split up!"  
  
"What's going on Tai?" Kari asked.  
  
"The crests are getting away! The crest of courage and friendship have gone in separate directions. We don't have a lot of time, we have to split up and go after them. Kari, you're coming with me after the Crest of Courage and Takeru you're with Matt after the Crest of Friendship. We'll meet back at the TV later okay?" Tai explained.  
  
Everyone nodded, and ran in their own ways towards their designated crests.  
  
Further and further into the forests they ran. Matt and Takeru with their digimon partners, trying their best to always keep the crest in range of their digivices. The trees beside them blurred away and the ground beneath them began to feel more and more nonexistent. The longer they ran, the more lost they felt. They blocked that out of their minds though, trying just to concentrate on the crest before them. 'We're almost there.' Matt thought to himself, watching the crest come closer and closer in range. But then, it stopped. Matt skidded into a stop and looked down shocked on the screen.   
  
Takeru nearly ran into him startled. "What is it Matt?" Takeru asked.  
  
"The crest.. it stopped moving.." Matt said.  
  
"Is that a problem?" Takeru asked back wondering.  
  
"I have a strange feeling about this Matt," Gabumon said nervously.   
  
"Yeah, me too." Matt replied.  
  
"What the matter with you two?" Gatomon said impatiently. "The crest is not that far away! Why aren't you going to get it?!"   
  
"The crest doesn't move on its own, someone must of been carrying it off. Unless they dropped it, I say they're waiting for us to get it." Matt explained.   
  
"That makes a lot of sense. But, for us to draw whatever it is out, do you think we should try to retrieve the crest?" Takeru suggested.  
  
"Yeah, I guess you're right. Okay, stay alert." Matt advised to everyone. Everyone nodded in agreement.  
  
Slowly, and carefully, they walked closer and closer towards the crest. They saw the forests begins to thin out and the trees grew less and less in numbers. The signal became stronger and stronger with every step they took. The beeping louder and louder. The sunlight became brighter over them and they came to see a large clearing the break in the forest before them.   
  
"According to the digivice, the crest should be right in that clearing." Takeru said.   
  
"All right," Matt continued on into the open clearing. As he came more and more into the clearing, he began to see a sparkle in the center. "I see it." Matt called back to the others. He approached closer and stood right over the bright object. "This must be it." He knelt down and wiped away the dirt that covered it. It was a small, blue trapezoid-shaped crest that stood within a golden pendant-like object upon a chain. "Yes!" Matt cried out victoriously. He stood up and revealed his crest to Takeru and Gatomon behind him.   
"Whew," Gabumon said with relief. "I'm glad you found your crest Matt. Congratulations!" Gabumon said to him.  
  
"Thanks Gabumon. Now let's get back to Tai and Kari." Matt suggested.  
  
"Yeah, this forest is starting to creep me out." Gatomon said relieved.   
  
With crest in hand and Gabumon running beside him, Matt ran back towards the waiting Takeru and Gatomon. Only to see them suddenly swooped away from the ground by a gust of wind. Matt gasped, as he watched them get whipped off the ground into the forests.   
  
"Takeru!" Matt called after him, running towards the forests after them. Suddenly, another gust of wind had shot out and into his hand, throwing the crest from him. He watched as it soared across the clearing, off a tree, and back onto the ground. "Urgh," He looked around back and forth the clearing trying to find the source. "We're not alone here Gabumon.." Matt said to him.  
  
"I know Matt, I'm ready.." Gabumon assured.  
  
"SHOW YOURSELF!" Matt called out. "WHO'S OUT THERE?!"  
  
The forests were silent. No response came back to him. He stood strong, scanning his eyes over the trees, bushes, everything, around him, Gabumon stood close by, alert as ever and prepared to protect his partner from whatever danger was to appear. A swoosh sliced through the silence and caught his senses. Matt whirled around to face his unknown enemy.   
  
'What...?' He stood stunned, because before him stood a girl. She stood high above on a branch in the tree that stood over him, wearing a long black trenchcoat and slim turtle neck suit underneath. Upon her back, a binded katana sword stood and ready for its master's hand. She looked about his age, she was tall and slim, with short crimson-brown hair with eyes of auburn red looking down upon him. 'Who is this girl? H-Howcome I feel like I should know who she is?'   
  
Gabumon quickly came to stand between Matt and the mysterious girl. "Who are you?! Identify yourself!" Gabumon demanded.  
  
She reached over and grasped the handle of her sword and brought it forth, holding it ready. "I am an assasssin." she replied in a cold, hard voice, that was still touched by a slight softness. "I was sent by my master, Piedmon himself. I am the one who is to take the Digidestineds' lives." she called out, lifting her sword before her, flashing a light of silver from the blade. "I am called Shinokaze!" she declared. "The Wind of Death!" 


	11. Two Names

Argh!!!! I'm done! So many things to do! I'm soooo sorry this took me such a long, long time to get up! I'm not going too much into detail, but I just didn't have much time (and I'll admit motivation)! So anyway, this is part 11. It's a little longer than usual, just to warn ya. There's mainly a lot of fighting in here, and I suck at describing battle scenes, so bear with me. Enough talking for me! On with the fic!   
  
Disclaimer: (Man this thing's important isn't it?) Don't own Digimon. 'Nough said.  
  
Notes: "talking"   
'thoughts'  
  
Familiar  
Chapter 11  
Two Names   
by Hitora  
  
Tai and Kari pursued the crest furiously, refusing to let the signal escape the little digivice screen.   
  
"Urgh, this is stupid!" Tai thought frustrated. He quickly turned to his digimon partner. "Agumon! We need to pick up the pace! Digivolve!"   
  
"Right!" Agumon nodded. "AGUMON DIGIVOLVE TO- GREYMON!"  
  
Tai rushed to sit on the orange dino's back. "Come on Kari!" He called. She hopped onto his tail and climbed up to sit behind Tai. "Okay! Let's go Greymon!"  
  
This time they moved faster through the forests, keeping pace to the fleeing crest. "This is great! We're almost to the crest!" Tai announced. He looked anxiously between his digivice and the forests ahead, waiting for the crest to appear. The distance grew smaller and smaller, and every moment Tai grew with anticipation. Finally, they came to be right on the crest's location. But there was no sign of it, and it still continue to move. "Hey! Where the heck is it!?"  
  
"Tai!" Kari called. "Look! Up there!" she called, pointing to the sky above them.  
  
"What?" Tai followed the direction his little sister pointed to and saw what she yelled about. A giant firebird soared above them. It was huge with a body of orange flowing flame and a glorious tail. Its round beak was lined with pointed teeth and its eyes were a deep,clear blue. The feature that caught Tai's eyes the most though was the glimmering crest grasped in its claw.   
  
"It has my crest!" Tai recognized. "That bird must be trying to take my crest to Yumemon. Well, I won't allow it! Greymon!" Tai called, signaling him to attack.  
  
"Wait Tai!" Kari interrupted.   
  
"What is it?" he asked, wondering why his little sister had interrupted the start of the battle.  
  
"We can't attack that bird. We don't know if it's working for Yumemon or not." Kari reminded. "It might of just taken your crest by accident."  
  
"You got a point Kari. Hm? How are we going to figure out if it's working for Yumemon or not?" Tai wondered. "I got it!" he declared. "Patamon, fly up there and ask for my crest back." Tai said turning to the brown digimon that flew beside them.  
  
"Right! I'll do it!" he agreed and soared into the sky towards the unknown firebird.  
  
"Um, excuse me." he called out in his squeaky little voice.  
  
"Hm?" the firebird's voice boomed, turning its light blue eyes to him.  
  
"Uh, if you don't mind me asking, can I have that crest you have?" Patamon asked politely, trying very hard to conceal his nervousness.  
  
"Are you with the Digidestined?" it asked back.   
  
"Uh, yeah! See!" Patamon replied, happily showing Tai and his Digidestined human (Kari) watching and following below.   
  
"I see." the graceful bird flew around in a half cirlce to stop upright in the sky. Tai watched from below, seeing the phoenix-like bird coming to a halt.   
  
"Hey, wait a minute Greymon." Tai called out, and Greymon stopped in his tracks to stand below the flapping bird.  
  
"So, can I have that crest?" Patamon asked again, nervously, having to face such a large being. The firebird extended out its wings. Sparks and bursts of flames grew from their feathers like stars in the night sky. With a mighty motion the bird crossed its wings across its chest, curling slightly into itself, as if it was gathering energy into its very core.  
  
"METEOR WING!!" it cried out. A storm of fireballs erupted from their wings, racing towards the ground below. Tai looked above in shock as the rain of flames crashed down all around him. Greymon quickly leapt aside, as Tai held onto him tightly, trying not to get thrown off. Greymon luckily dodged out of their mulitple paths.  
  
"It's attacking us!" Kari said shocked.  
  
"Tai! Kari! I think you should go hide or you might get hurt!" Greymon said back to them.  
  
"Right! Take that bird down and get my crest okay Greymon?!"   
  
"You got it Tai!" his digimon assured.  
  
"Come on Kari!" Tai said, aiding his little sister to the ground. They quickly ran from the battlle ready Greymon into the cover of the trees of the forests.   
  
'I hope Matt and the others are okay,' Kari thought to herself, worried to what Matt, Takeru and their digimon were facing right now.  
  
  
Within a blink of an eye, she suddenly appeared on the ground before them. "Look out Matt!" Gabumon stood firm before him, ready to attack. The assassin charged towards them, bringing her sword ready beside her.   
  
"BLUE BLASTER!" Gabumon fired out his blue flame attack towards her blurred figure. She brought up her sword and sliced it away like nothing. She brought her hand forward and pushed it towards them. A green blast of wind burst from her hand and flew across the clearing. The rush of power struck Gabumon aside, throwing him to lie unconscious to one side of the clearing.   
  
"Gabumon!" Matt cried out for him. But only for a moment, because within seconds a slice of a blade flashed down on him. He was barely able to dodge aside from it. She sliced down again towards him, and he dodged the blade. She brought her blade to slice at his neck, only to have him duck under it. But he was unprepared for the kick she threw around back into him. Matt was slammed back into a tree that stood behind him from her sudden attack. 'Urgh, that's a good kick..' his mind moaned. But he had barely any time to recover from the blow, because she came around with another slice that aimed to take off his head. He ducked under it again, makng her slice the tree behind him. As she came around with a back swipe he had managed to grab her arm in time before the blade had touched him. He held it, trying to fight the her struggling to push her blade forward to finish him.   
  
'Who is this girl?! She-she has such a..she feels so familiar, like I should know her.' he thought.   
  
"Urgh!" She pushed harder against his hold, inching her sword closer and closer to his neck. He held back strongly though, but it was diffucult. "Ugh, why are you trying to kill us..?" Matt hissed between the struggle. She gave no response, except for a stronger push against his. 'I don't want to hurt her! Why?! She's trying to kill me.. but I just can't. Did I know her before? Who is she?!' he thought frustrated. He faced her, and looked into her calm, determined face. Her face twinged something in him, a strange feeling deep within that he couldn't describe or explain. Her eyes, seemed unfitting on an evil assassin to him. They were the determined eyes of a killer, but they.. had a strange warmth in them as well. 'Those eyes..I've looked into those eyes before..Who is she..? What is this feeling? I've felt this before. It's the one that's been haunting me ever since I entered the Digital World..a name..? A face.. Someone I knew before...Someone my heart is looking for...'   
  
But his chain of thought was interrupted by another strain on his arm by the assassin's attempt to kill him. "Urgh! Stop it Sora!"   
  
Her eyes widened in shock, and she let out a small gasp.   
  
"H-How..? How di-"   
  
'Sora..?' Matt wondered. A crack snapped into the moment, and Matt turned back to see the tree behind him finally give way to the slice she had put in earlier. The tree began to fall towards them. He looked back to the still shocked assassin. "Look out!" As the tree came onto her, he leapt and pushed her out of the tree's falling path. The trees around them shook from the booming rumble when the tree came to the ground. A storm of dust and dead leaves leapt up and spreaded throughout the clearing. Moments later, the forests settled, and the storm returned to the ground.   
  
"That was too close.." Matt said relieved. "Huh?" He looked down on the assassin that was safe on the ground below him. She was still a little dazed from the shock for a couple of moments, but she had managed to regain herself and looked up to face him. "Are you okay?"   
  
A blast of green wind whipped out of her hand and he went flying back from her. He skidded across the ground from the force when he landed, sending up clouds of dirt trailing behind. Matt moaned achingly from the sudden blast, and had stiffly managed to rise to his arms, only to face the end of a sword pointing straight at his neck."Why did you do that?" she asked back coldly. "You obviously know I'm trying to kill you. Why did you save me?" she asked in a very commanding tone.  
  
"I couldn't allow you to get hurt Sora.."   
  
"How do you know that name?!" she yelled back. "I never told you that, how do you know that name?" she asked coldly, demanding an answer.  
  
"Because, we know eachother Sora! It's me, Matt!" he called out to her, hoping to revive at least a part of her memory.  
  
"Matt..?" she repeated, as if, somehow, a part of her knew that name. Something inside of her seemed to suddenly speak, slowly and unclearly telling her of the identity of the boy below her sword. "Matt..."   
  
A beeping blared into the moment and she snapped back out of the dazed state. She quickly looked to her side to where the beeping came from. Matt watched closely, as she revealed under her coat a flashing digivice.   
  
"Birdramon." he had managed to hear her say in a very concerned tone.   
She turned back fiercely to Matt lying before her blade, and drew her sword back into the scabbard on her back. "I'll deal with you later." Sora stepped back from him, and began to walk away. Matt quickly rose back to his feet.  
  
"Wait!" he called after her, but she had stirred the sands upon the grounds around her with her wind into a concealing beige cloud. Matt brought his arm before his eyes to block it away, blinded by the mists of clay-colored dust and dirt. Once the cloud settled, all he came to see was an empty clearing. "Sora.."  
  
"Matt..?" an aching voice called out to him.   
  
"Huh?" he turned back to realize his hurt digimon partner slowly rising to its feet. "Gabumon!" Matt ran to him, and knelt before him in concern. "Are you all right Gabumon?"  
  
"I will be fine." he assured back. "I am glad you're all right. I'm sorry I wasn't able to be of much help." he said ashamed of failing to to defend him.  
  
"Hey, you tried you're best Gabumon. Now, we have to go after her!" Matt said determined, rising to his feet.  
  
"Her? Are you talking about that assassin Matt?" Gabumon asked puzzled.  
  
"Yes! She's one of us Gabumon, one of the Digidestined! I know she is!"   
  
"Are you sure you are all right Matt?" Gabumon asked worried.   
  
"Yes!" Matt said a little annoyed at his digimon's doubt in him.  
  
"How can you be so sure?"  
  
"Because," Matt began. "She has a digivice like mine, and.. I just got a feeling all right Gabumon!" Matt replied, frustrated in trying to explain any further. "A feeling that I've known her before.."  
  
Gabumon looked up at his partner's serious face curiously. "Well, if you say so Matt." he said, still reluctant to totally agree. "Um, but shouldn't we try to locate Takeru and Gatomon first? And don't forget your crest." Gabumon reminded.   
  
"You're right Gabumon. But what if she's going after Tai and the others? We have to stop her!"   
  
"Don't worry, he can handle himself until we arrive." Gabumon assured.  
  
  
"NOVA BLAST!" Greymon's fireball collided into the giant firebird's back, and it staggered a little from the attack. Greymon took advantage of the moment and dashed underneath it. He leapt off from the ground and rammed his head into its back sending it flying up in tumbling circles into the sky, struggling to remain in flight.   
  
"Finish it Greymon! Take that thing down!" Tai called out.  
  
Greymon obeyed. He threw its head back, slightly opening his mouth revealing a frenzy of flames between his white, pointed teeth. "NOVA-"  
  
"SPIRAL TWISTER!" A black figure leapt suddenly from the forests to land beside Greymon's head, firing out a burst of green wind from their hands. The wind bursted into the side of Greymon's head, throwing him down with a mighty thump to the ground.   
  
"Greymon!" Tai called out shocked to see his fallen digimon lying hurt before him. "What was that?!" He looked side to side looking for the culprit that took down his digimon.  
  
"Tai! Over there!" Kari called pointing beyond the giant orange digimon to the dark figure that came to land onto the ground.  
  
"What?" He came to see a human figure. A girl the same age as him with short, brown-red hair and crimson eyes. He stood stunned. 'I-I've seen this girl before..' Tai thought. 'But where..? From the past? What's.. this strange feeling in me when I look at her, those familiar eyes..'  
  
"Tai?" Kari called to him, worried at the blank, serious expression on his face. He blinked in surprise and back to reality.  
  
"Uh, right." Tai said a little shakily, still adjusting to the mental transition. "Greymon! Are you all right?!" he called out, returning to his battle self.  
  
"I-I'm sorry, I was caught off guard.." Greymon moaned apologetically.  
  
"That's all right buddy!" Tai said back. "Now," he turned his attention back to the mysterious figure that stood behind Greymon's fallen form. "Who are you?! Why did you attack us?!" he called out sternly, trying to hide that he was still a little shaken from the strange feeling from before.  
  
"I am an assassin sent to destroy the Digidestined in the name of Yumemon." she called back. "You may call me Shinokaze."   
  
"Shinokaze?" Kari repeated. "'The Wind of Death..?'" she translated nervously.  
  
"If you're working for Yumemon, that makes you our enemy!" Tai said. "Greymon! You have to get up!" he called out to his digimon. Greymon, slowly rose to its arms and eventually its feet to stand ready once again.  
  
"Hmph, so this is your digimon partner.." she replied calmly, looking up at the menacing dino before her. "Impressive," she commented. "But, not good enough to save you! Birdramon!" she called. The firebird flapped its wings and came to hover over her. "This is my digimon partner!" she called out. "Birdramon." she introduced.  
  
"Digimon partner?" Tai repeated. "Than, that must mean you're one of the Digidestined!" he said shocked.  
"Why are you working for Yumemon?! She's trying to destroy us!" Tai called back.  
  
"Actually, she's trying to destroy YOU. " She leapt back to land on Birdramon's extended claws, and it began to push off back into the air above them. "Birdramon! Attack!" she commanded.  
  
"METEOR WING!" it cried out, sending down its fiery attack.  
  
"SPIRAL TWISTER!" Shinokaze put her arm forward and shot down a swirling burst of green wind.  
  
Both attacks struck into Greymon, causing him to waver with every shot. "Greymon!"   
  
"METEOR WING!"  
  
"SPIRAL TWISTER!" The attacks fired out at the same time. The assassin's green wind somehow wrapped around the bursts of fire and transform them into one, powerful beam of raging flame that aimed straight for the orange digimon below.  
  
"Greymon look out!!" Tai warned to him. He leapt aside, sending the beam to go straight through the forests behind him. The forests where Tai and Kari were taking cover. Tai quickly ducked, bringing his little sister down with him. The attack flew right over them, while at the same time quickly scorching the trees that stood around them.   
  
"Tai! Kari!" Greymon looked back to see if the ones he were protecting were hurt. He looked on with relief to see them both rise above the blackened debri and broken off trees.   
  
"Are you okay Kari?" Tai asked worried.   
  
"I'll be all right." she assured. "That was too close."  
  
"METEOR WING!" A rain of fireballs suddenly bursted all around them, and they realized that they were no longer protected by the trees that had surrounded them before. They were now open targets to the flying digimon's attacks.   
  
"METEOR WING!" Another series came down upon them. Every direction was ignited into flame and they stood motionless, trying to escape out of the open area. A litted shadow soon appeared and began to grow larger above them.   
  
"Ahh!" Kari screamed in horror as a fireball came charging towards them. But, a sudden large figure had rushed and blocked away the attack. They looked above to see the stomach of a blue-furred wolf standing over them.   
  
"Garurumon?" Tai said shocked.   
  
"What is that?" Birdramon asked, seeing the blue striped wolf that had disrupted its attack below.   
  
"I don't know Birdramon." her partner admitted. She looked down closer and soon spotted Matt riding on the digimon's back. She gasped surprised at first, but quickly returned to her usual compusure. "But the one riding on its back is a Digidestined." she said. "So, that means we must destroy them too." she reminded. Her voice was more unsteady than it usually was, and Birdramon noticed. It looked down at her in concern and wonder at the sudden change in her human partner's occassional cold self.   
  
"What is it Sora?" it asked.   
  
"Nothing!" she yelled back. "And don't call me that in the middle of battle Birdramon! I'm Shinokaze, assassin of Piedmon, sent to destroy the Digidestined!" she said back fiercely.   
  
"Yes. I'm sorry, I forgot." the bird apologized, obviously hurt at her partner's reaction.  
  
The assassin was taken back shocked and looked down from the bird ashamed at her actions. "I'm sorry Birdramon. I- I didn't mean to hurt your feelings." she apologized. "It's just - I'll talk about it later. But right now, we have a battle to finish." she reminded, returning to the task before her.   
  
Shinokaze turned back to look below at the Digidestined. She looked at every one of them that had appeared. 'Every face, every face seems different than the others that I had killed before.' she thought to herself.   
'But what is it that would make these Digidestined any different?! I've killed for as long as I can remember, why would I hesitate now!? Never once have I hesitated, but I did with that boy from before.. Why..? Why.. is this mission so much harder than the others before..?' she thought, closing her eyes in frustration. 'Why do I have this feeling of regret in having to destroy them...?'  
  
  
  
What do you think? I know it's not as good as it can be, but I tried! And I know the title's kinda bad too. I couldn't think of anything else! I'll get the next chapter up as soon as I can! 'Til then, please R+R. See ya! - Hitora  
  
  
  
  



	12. A Fiery Battle

Hey! Thanks to everyone who reviewed my new story 'The Different Girl', they were all so  
nice! Anyway, this is the next part to Familiar, sorry it took so long, too much editing and  
stuff. This finishes up the battle between the Digidestined and Sora. Warning! There's  
some Sorato hinting in here, so if you don't go for that, I apologize and suggest you don't  
read. ( Even though it's not exactly that bad... urgh, okay it might be sappier than the  
insides of a maple tree, but still... off subject!) Enough babble! (It's almost 3 a.m. here) On  
with the fic!  
  
Disclaimer: No own Digimon. (Disclaimers, ah, the best suing-lawyer repellents, it still  
kinda annoying to write them all the time though....0)  
  
Notes: "Speaking" 'Thoughts'  
  
  
  
  
Familiar 12  
A Fiery Battle   
by Hitora  
  
"Matt!" Tai said relieved. "I'm glad you showed up when you did!"   
  
"Tai! You can't hurt her! She's one of the Digidestined! One of our friends!" Matt  
said as he came down from Garurumon's back.  
  
"Friends? She's trying to kill us Matt!" Tai reminded. "I know she's one the  
Digidestined already. But she doesn't seem to care much for that." Tai stated coldly.  
  
"She doesn't know who we are. We have to try to make her remember us!"   
  
"We have to try to stay alive Matt!" Tai yelled back.   
  
"But it's Sora!"   
  
"Sora...?" he repeated in shock. A part of his memory felt as if recognized the  
name, and slowly began to build a picture of a past close friend he once knew.  
  
"Excuse me," a voice suddenly interrupted his thoughts and they turned to face  
Takeru. "I'm sorry to interrupt, but aren't we in the middle of a battle?" he reminded.  
  
Suddenly, a Meteor Wing attack came down all around them. They all realized  
Takeru's words and darted away from the open area.   
  
'Even if she is one of us, for now she's an enemy and I have to protect everyone!'  
Tai thought to himself.   
"Listen up everyone! She's strong, but outnumbered. We can do this, take her down!"   
  
"Are you sure about this Tai?" Kari asked doubtful.   
  
"It's the only way."   
  
"No! It can't be! We can't attack our friends!" Matt yelled back fiercely.  
  
"We have no other choice! I don't like this either Matt, but it's either us or her!"  
Tai responded back sternly. "Greymon, go!" he commanded.  
  
Matt looked on angry and frustrated at the whole situation. He watched as Tai sent  
his own digimon into battle, the same battle poise never leaving him. Garurumon looked  
back at him in concern, and felt the emotions that seemed to tear at him inside. But he had  
priorities too, and one of them was to protect Matt. 'He's not going to like this.' he  
thought to himself. He glanced back, catching a look from his frustrated Digidestined  
partner. "I'm sorry Matt, but I have to do this.." he said back to him regretfully and  
followed Greymon into battle.  
  
"Garurumon!"   
  
"NOVA BLAST!"  
  
"HOWLING BLASTER!"   
  
The two attacks soared into the sky towards the red-orange digimon in the sky,  
but she quickly dodged side to side from the attacks.   
  
"METEOR WING!"   
  
"SPIRAL TWISTER!"   
  
They retaliated with their own attacks, and Greymon and Garurumon dodged them  
as well.   
  
'This is bad. If that girl really is a Digidestined, we shouldn't be fighting each other.'  
Kari thought worried, looking at the battle before her.   
  
"Kari! Maybe I should help too." Patamon said to her.  
  
She looked to the digimon with a look of fear on her face. "No Patamon, Greymon  
and Garurumon can handle it!" she said, discouraging him.  
  
"From the looks of it though, it may seem that they are closely matched." Takeru  
agreed. "But," he added, looking to Tai and Matt standing nearby with a mix of confusion  
and frustration on their faces. "because they know she's a Digidestined, they're afraid of  
hurting her and holding back in fighting her." he stated. "That could be dangerous,  
because it seems she will not hesitate to destroy them. " he said.  
  
"Is there anything we can do?!" Kari asked desperately turning to Takeru. "There  
has to be something we can do!"   
  
He turned to her sincere face with a look of surprise at her concern. 'She's our  
enemy, and Kari wants to try to save everyone? Can anyone really be that kind?' he  
wondered shocked. Gatomon gazed upon him with a narrowing stare at his change in  
expression. She personally and silently felt he shouldn't even be considering doing  
anything. But, unfortunately for her, Takeru came to look down to her anyway.  
"Gatomon, we have to separate those two. Try to get the assassin away from Birdramon.  
Maybe that way, Greymon and Garurumon can bring down Birdramon and weaken the  
assassin's advantage." he said.  
  
Gatomon sighed. "All right, as you wish." she agreed reluctantly. She leapt to the  
air, climbing up the trees gaining height to reach the fiery pair. When she was close  
enough, she waited on a nearby branch.   
  
"SPIRAL TWISTER!" the assassin cried out, firing another attack.  
  
'Now,' Gatomon leapt from the branch straight for her.   
  
Shinokaze caught a white blur take flight off from the corner of her eye. She  
turned quickly to face a charging Gatomon.  
  
"LIGHTNING PAW!"  
  
'Clever cat, attacking me in the moment I can't use my wind power.' she thought  
impressed. Using her free hand, she released the sword that stood on her back and blocked  
Gatomon's attack. She swiped the cat digimon away , sending her flying back. But  
Gatomon was not willing to give up, she back flipped in the air to have her feet land to a  
trunk of a tree and pushed herself back towards the assassin. She rose her claw, striking it  
down towards Shinokaze, who blocked it with her sword. She brought her other claw  
forth, only to have it too stopped by the blade.   
  
'Urgh, she's a lot harder than I thought.' Gatomon thought frustrated. 'Why is  
Takeru even doing this anyway?! Is it because of that Digidestined human?' she thought  
annoyed, remembering the way he had looked at Kari when she wanted desperately to  
help everyone.   
  
"SPIRAL TWISTER!" Sora brought forth the hand that did not hold the sword to  
fire out her special attack. Gatomon quickly reacted, bouncing off the sword that held her  
claw above the whirling winds.   
  
'Urgh, this is enough! If they want her down, I'm taking her down!' Gatomon  
landed back before the assassin, and stood firm. She closed her eyes as her opponent  
waited, preparing for whatever move she had planned to do next.   
  
"CAT'S EYE!" Gatomon's eyes suddenly opened to reveal a concentrated pink  
glow. Shinokaze couldn't react, and was soon drawn into the cat's hypnotic stare.   
  
'I-I can't move!' she realized stunned. Gatomon smirked mischievously.   
  
"Bad move! Now, you're mine!" she cried out as she leapt up towards her, ready to  
push her from the security of Birdramon's claw. But, the giant firebird shifted, moving  
aside the target she was aiming for. "Huh?" Gatomon had lost her landing and this time no  
trees stood by for her to pounce off. All she could do was fall towards the fast  
approaching ground.  
  
"Are you all right?" Birdramon asked to Shinokaze, who had shaken off  
Gatomon's last attack.   
  
"Yes. Thank you Birdramon." she said. "I have to destroy the Digidestined, and to  
assure that I do, I must take their lives with my own hands." she said in a frightening,  
determined voice. "Take care of those two," she said, aiming her gaze at the two  
Champion digimon below, and leapt off.  
  
"Oh no Gatomon!" Kari cried out at seeing the white creature fall. "Patamon!"   
  
Patamon quickly flew out and grabbed hold of Gatomon's arm. Flapping furiously,  
he slowly settled her to the ground. "Whew, that was too close." Patamon sighed with  
relief as he came to sit to the ground exhausted. "You okay Gatomon?" he asked, cheerful  
that he was able to accomplish his task.  
  
Gatomon quickly turned away from him, trying to hide her hurt pride. "I could of  
taken care of myself!" she spat out annoyed.   
  
"Hmph! That's the last time I save you!" Patamon pouted, turning away from her  
as well.   
  
"Whew, they're okay." Kari said relieved.   
  
"They shouldn't be there." Takeru said, concern seeping from his usual calm voice.   
  
"Huh?" Kari looked to the two arguing digimon to realize that they were almost  
directly in the center of the battlefield. "No! Get out of there Patamon! Gatomon!" she  
called out quickly.  
  
"Huh?" they both looked over confused to Kari's warning, which had come a little  
too late. A Meteor Wing fireball suddenly struck down close beside them in a piercing  
explosion, sending them flying in smoking messes to the ground motionless.   
  
"No! Patamon! Gatomon!" Kari cried out horrified, rushing to them.  
  
"Kari! Wait!" Takeru called after her, but she did not listen or stop.   
  
"Patamon!" she cried out, coming to kneel beside her injured digimon. "Patamon,  
please say something."   
she called out worried, holding him in her arms.  
  
"NOVA BLAST!" Greymon fired out another attack at Birdramon. But it quickly  
dodged away from his attack. The giant fireball flew past and cast an ominous shadow on  
the unknowing Kari and the unconscious Digimon.  
  
"Kari!" Takeru called out, trying to alert her.   
  
"What? Kari!" Tai realized as he saw the attack heading straight down on her.  
"No! Look out!"  
  
"Huh?" she looked above to see the attack drawing closer down on her and  
gasped. She couldn't do anything to dodge it. She knew it. She grasped Patamon closer to  
her and turned away from the attack, huddling closer to the ground.  
  
As the fires drew closer and as she felt the heat grow, she began to brace herself  
for the inferno that was to cast upon her. A strong howl of wind pierced through the air. A  
burst of green suddenly blasted into the side of the attack and sent it flying harmlessly  
away from her. Kari blinked shocked. Something had saved her. She lifted her eyes from  
the ground and turned to face towards where the unexpected power had came from. A  
black-clad assassin stood nearby, her hand outstretched before her and eyes wide in shock.  
Everything fell silent and motionless, except for the flapping of Birdramon wings, no  
sound no longer pierced the stillness of the forests. They were all locked in shock at their  
self-proclaimed killer and the action she had taken. All sorting through their muddled  
thoughts, trying to decide if what they had seen was real or not. The assassin herself stood  
wondering. She slowly turned her hand to face her, looking upon it with shivering,  
confused eyes.   
  
"Sh-she saved Kari..." Tai had managed to utter, breaking the silence.  
  
"Sora...?" Matt whispered, a glint of hope in his voice.  
  
'I- Why did I save that girl?' she thought stunned. But her expression suddenly  
turned into one of anger and fierceness. "Birdramon!" she called to the bird above,  
removing the bird from her own dazed state. She nodded, showing it understood her  
signal. Shinokaze lifted her hand above her, sending out a storm of furious winds across  
the area around her. Everyone was taken back and blinded by the rising dirt and dust  
carried by the untamed gusts. Shinokaze rushed through it, unaffected by the artificial  
storm. She ran before a stunned Matt and tore the tag and crest from his neck. She leapt  
up and pushing off his shoulder into the air, she caught hold of Birdramon's foot as she  
flew overhead.   
  
"Huh? Wait!" Matt had suddenly realized her escape and turned from the still  
stirring winds that blinded him to the air above. He watched her as she retreated, sitting  
silently on her digimon's partner claw. "Sora!" Her eyes came to look back upon hearing  
her name, only to become locked with a pair of sapphire eyes. Sapphire eyes that were  
filled with sadness and regret. She didn't understand why, but she couldn't help but get  
drawn and lost in them, into the unfathomable cloudy blues of his eyes. Her heart began to  
pound louder in her chest, deafening all other sound around her. Clouding over all other  
sights, except him. His eyes...they twinged something within her. Something that wanted  
to comfort him, to do everything she could to remove that pain she saw in his eyes.  
Something that didn't want her to leave him. But she wouldn't allow it. Closing her eyes  
tightly she broke herself from his alluring gaze, forcing herself to turn to the sky that  
outstretched before her.   
  
Matt watched as she averted her eyes away from his. He had caught the look in her  
eyes. Even though it was only for a moment, he saw that her ruby-colored eyes were full  
of confusion, pain, and, a strange longing, that he felt beat in his own heart as well. As  
she escaped further and further away, all he could do was watch as the sun's dimming  
glow captured her and her digimon's form, causing them to fade more and more from  
view. All he could do was watch, and whisper gently into the sky.  
  
"I'm sorry Sora..."  
  
  
-What ya think? I suck at writing romantic stuff okay, (Can't you tell?) so don't punish me  
for it! Wondering what Matt's sorry about? You'll just have to find out later! Until then,  
see ya! 


	13. Conflicting Feelings

Geez..it's been nearly...well a long time since I updated this fic. I know this season's ended. But d*mn it, it still was a good season and I just can't let this story go off on a cliffhanger. So, here after much delay (much, much, much delay(-.-0)) Chapter 13- Conflicting Feelings! Hope you enjoy!  
  
Disclaimer: Don't own Digimon.Period.  
Note: "Speaking"  
'Thoughts'  
  
Familiar 13  
Conflicting Feelings  
by Hitora  
  
The sky's brilliant blue color began to fade before them into a vision of reds, oranges, and yellows, surrounding the descending gleaming crimson sun in the sky. Birdramon flapped down its mighty wings, catching a force of wind to glide on. Silence had followed them for a long time now, and the flying bird was getting more and more uncomfortable as time passed. She glanced down to the disturbingly quiet human sitting on top of her claw. Her human partner's actions did not go by unoticed by the great firebird, and she was beginning to wonder what was running through her companion's troubled mind. Finally, she couldn't hold back her concern any longer and decided to question her now more mysterious friend.  
  
"Are you all right Sora?" Birdramon asked.  
  
"I am fine Birdramon." she replied in her usual, cold tone.   
  
"Why did we retreat? We could have accomplished our mission."   
  
"No, I was not- prepared enough. We wouldn't of won." She lied. She easily could have destroyed them all. But that doubtful emotion got the better of her and overtook her. 'Why didn't I just allow that attack to strike that girl?! It would have been one less Digidestined to kill!' Her thoughts plagued her. She couldn't denie that something just triggered into her as she watched the attack draw closer to that defenseless Digidestined. Something silently yelled to to save her, and she gave into it. She sighed, sinking in some of the frustration. She sat wondering on the strange emotions that clouded her abilities and concentration. The same emotions that had caused her to fail her mission. She didn't understand, she just couldn't go through with it. "Our masters will be very disappointed."   
  
  
  
"What was that?!" Piedmon cried out shocked. He had watched excitedly at his large telescope, waiting for the triumphant moment in which his trained assassin would claim the Digidestined lives. But, to his horror, all he saw was her retreating, leaving the living Digidestined and his glory behind. "Unforgivable! What have those Digidestined done to my perfect assassin?!" he yelled out, furiously rising from his seat.   
  
"Hmm.. I was afraid of this." Yumemon said, carefully watching the battle as well.  
  
"What? What's going on? I thought you said you had erased all her memories of those Digidestined from her!" Piedmon exclaimed to her frustrated.  
  
A cold, threatening stare met his, drawing him back. "Must I remind you who your master is?" she warned. "Be careful who you rise your voice to, or you may never be able to speak again!"   
  
"Ah, yes of course. What is it that you think got in the way of our victory my master?" he asked, politely of course.  
  
"You were correct in saying that her memories did interfere." she said. Snapping her fingers, an image of a golden-haired, blue eyed handsome human suddenly appeared before them. "And it seems the Digidestined of Friendship is the cause of it." She sighed, "It seems I have made a slight misjudgement." she said disappointed. " I thought that your assassin would perform better if her memories were erased from her. But now I see that is not exactly true."  
  
"What do you suppose we do?" Piedmon asked.  
  
A mischevious smile curved on her lips and she came to look upon the still image of the blond-haired digidestined before her with an amusing thought. "It is ironic." she said, playfully responding to the mysterious thought. "The one that triggered her memories, will be the one to help her forsake them." she said. Flowing from Piedmon's observation platform, she glided away into the dark corridors of the tower.  
  
"Master! What do you plan to do?!" he called out confused.  
  
"Hmph, hm, just you wait Piedmon," a chilling voice echoed back. "She will be our most loyal servant yet."   
  
  
  
  
"Man, I still can't believe she got away with the crests!" Tai exclaimed frustrated, violently stabbing into the crackling fire.  
  
Night had fallen, and they were not willing to risk looking for the TV back to Gennai's in a dark, unknown world. So, the Digidestined had camped into a clearing of the forests, waiting for morning. Everyone seemed a bit uneasy, still trying to settle the shock of finding one of their own was also their enemy.  
  
"Well, we tried our best Tai. Don't worry, we'll get them back somehow." Kari said back to his complaints, trying to bring everyone out of their depressing moods.  
  
"Yeah Tai, cheer up!" Agumon said, following Kari's lead to lighten up his digidestined human. "We will get those crests back, so don't worry, I can quarantee you we will try our very best!" Agumon assured.  
  
"Hmph, thanks Agumon." Tai replied, a little of his frustration lifted.   
  
"Are you forgeting?" Takeru suddenly spoke. "What do we do about that assassin?" His serious tone darkening the mood again.  
  
Everyone fell silent. Doubt, fear, confusion, all of it was thick around their minds at the reminder of Sora, or otherwise known as Shinokaze, the one sent to destroy them. Their assassin..  
  
"She's the one who took the crests from us. She's our enemy. That's that." Tai replied back simply and coldly.  
  
"So, we're just going to turn our backs on Sora?" Matt said back defiantly.  
  
"It can't be helped, we just have to concentrate on the crests Matt."   
  
"How can you say that?!" Matt yelled, fiercely turning back to him. "This is SORA Tai, she's one our friends and Digidestined! How can you care about some stupid crests over her like that?!"   
  
"Look Matt!" Tai yelled back firmly rising to his feet from the fire before him. "Those stupid crests are more easier to get than trying to get that assassin to join us! She's not the Sora that I remembered, she's someone working for Yumemon! I'm just saying let's concentrate on what we can do!"   
  
"Getting Sora back may be hard but not impossible Tai!" Matt reminded. "I thought you cared for her...."   
  
"Back off Matt!" Tai warned. Anger and frustration flared in both their eyes as they faced eachother with threatening looks. Each challenging eachother to utter another word or make another move.  
  
"Tai! Calm down!" Agumon pleaded beside him.  
  
"Yes, Matt, calm down!" Gabumon said up to his Digidestined partner.  
  
"I can't believe you! How can you be such a jerk!?"  
  
"Who you calling a jerk?!"  
  
"THAT'S ENOUGH!" Kari exclaimed sternly. They both turned surprised to her, shock in their eyes. "It's hard enough fighting a fellow digidestined! We don't need to be fighting eachother too!" she yelled back. Her tightly clenched fists shivered in anger and as she struggled to speak as strongly as possible.   
  
'I've.. never seen Kari like this before..' Tai thought worried. With a final intimidatng glare towards Matt, he managed to turn away from him to his little sister. "All right, we'll stop." Tai assured, trying to soothe his sister down.  
  
"Yeah, we didn't mean to make you upset Kari. Sorry." Matt said, trying to calm her down as well.   
  
She sighed, releasing all the emotions that built inside of her and looked up to them. The frightened face fortunately fading away into a smile of relief. "Good."   
  
"Now that that's settled. I think we should worry about guard duty. We can't be too sure about this place, when the others sleep someone should stay awake to keep watch." Takeru suggested.  
  
"Fine. I'll go first." Tai quickly volunteered.   
  
"I'll go next." Matt said next.  
  
"And that will leave me then Kari." Takeru said.  
  
"No way is Kari going to keep watch." Tai objected.  
  
"Hey, I'm a big girl Tai! I can keep watch myself!" Kari said back. "Besides, Patamon will be with me." she assured.  
  
"And how is that suppose to make me feel better about this?" he asked sarcasticly.  
  
"What did you say?! You better not be insulting my digimon Taichi Kamiya!" she threatened.  
  
"All right, all right, you win." Tai said, giving into his sister's deadly stare. He knew it was time to back off when she gave him that glare, and when she says his full name outloud...  
  
  
  
Darkness. Grays, blacks, everything around her was dulled of color. But none of it bothered her, not anymore. This place was common to her as the light of the sun everyday. She knew it well, because she knew that no matter where she went it was nearby. She couldn't escape it, so she embraced it. It was the darkness that laid in her heart. It was a dark world.  
  
She sat silent and still on top of a large stone in the middle of a spacious field and that stood at far from Piedmon's tower. Thoughts of her mission, feelings she felt, all of it haunted her. Questions raced through her mind, becoming more and more with every new one that she asked herself.   
  
'Why? Why does all this bother me?'  
  
"Sora!" a voice called out, catching her attention. She looked below to a digimon standing at the base of the stone.   
  
"Biyomon?" She looked like a small pink bird. She had big, adorable blue eyes and round orange beak. Some of her pink feathers were dipped with blue at the tips. One curved blue striped pink feather stood from the top of her head. Her wings held sets of orange claws and a thick silver ring was worn on her left leg. It flapped its petite wings and flew up to set herself beside the quiet assassion.   
  
"I thought I would find you here. Thinking again?" she asked.  
  
"Yes, I am."  
  
"Are you thinking about those Digidestined?" she asked curiously.  
  
"Yes." was Sora's reply.  
  
"I thought you would be! You acted so strangely to them. Why did you Sora?" she asked.  
  
"I'm.. not exactly sure. Biyomon, do you remember anything before we began to serve Piedmon and Yumemon?" she asked the pink digimon.  
  
"Nope. All I knew was that I had to be with you and protect you Sora, no matter what. I don't remember anything before that."   
  
Sora sighed. "Me either. I've always wondered about my past, who I was before I became who I am now. Where I came from, who I knew, but... nothing. I can't remember anything..." she said upset. Her hands opened before her and she began to stare down on a mysterious object that had laid in her palms.   
  
"You were looking at that thing again?" Biyomon asked surprised.  
  
"Yes. I've had this since I could remember. I.. have no idea what it is or if it even belongs to me. But, deep inside, I feel this is special to me in some way and that I should always keep it." she explained. "It's the only thing that came from my past." It was such a mystery to her, but she just couldn't part from it. It shined gently in the moonlight, it's silver and golden colors catching the glow. She slid her fingers over the small object, feeling the carvings engraved in the plate of gold that laid upon it. "Somehow, I know this thing is very close to my heart."  
Rectangular in shape, smooth beneath her fingers, a tingling rushing in her every time she looked upon it.  
  
"Do you think it might has something to do with those Digidestined we met today?" Biyomon boldly asked.  
  
Sora froze at her words, sinking them in slowly. "I.. don't know Somehow, that one boy knew my real name, and they seem to recognize me in some way, like they've known me before."  
  
"Do you suppose that you're one of them? One of the Digidestined?" Biyomon asked curiously.  
  
Sora looked over at her shocked, a strange, startled look upon her face. Her eyes didn't hide the racing thoughts in her mind, contemplating the possibility that she was truely part of them and that they were part of her past in some way. The vision of the strange, handsome blonde Digidestined suddenly entered into her mind. His presence, his unforgettable eyes, they never left her thoughts since her retreat. There was something to him, something that made her heart pound faster and face warmer and redder. 'Why does the thought of him make me feel this way? Could it be linked to my past?' she wondered. "Do you think that I'm one of the Digidestined?"  
  
"Of course you are!"   
  
Sora jolted at the sound of voice and quickly turned to it. Floating behind her was none other than the icy figure of Yumemon.  
  
"M-Master!" she exclaimed out surprised. She quickly knelt before her, lowering her head in shame. She suspected why her master had shown before her, and it was not for anything pleasant. "Please forgive me master, I have failed you."   
  
"Calm down my little pet," Yumemon assured. "So, you are wondering on your past hm?" Yumemon asked. Sora looked up at her suddenly upon her comment startled. But, knowing her place, she lowered it back to face the ground again.  
  
"Yes, I am." she obidiently admitted.   
  
"I see. I thought you would, after meeting those Digidestined." she hissed upon saying the word, disgust seeping from her lips. "Hmph, hm, I was watching the battle you know, and I saw how you reacted to that one Digidestined. " she said amused, referring to that strange blond Digidestined.   
  
"Wh-What do you mean master?" Sora asked, nervously dening it.   
  
"Hm, are you wondering about that young man, Matt was it?" Yumemon asked, a playful curiousness in her voice. "I bet you are... I mean you are a Digidestined too."  
  
Sora blinked surprised. "Wh-what? So, I am one of them? Why is it that you tell me this now master?" Sora asked.  
  
Yumemon gently giggled, somehow amused at her question. "Well, I believed it was the right time to mention it, I mean, you probably already assumed you were one of them. Besides, only Digidestined have the ability to digivolve Digimon, in which you can clearly do." she explained. She sighed, and bent over in air to look at Sora's face directly. "But, you shouldn't be involved with them Sora. Those Digidestined..."  
  
Sora blinked confused. 'Why shouldn't I become involved with them? They're Digidestined and I am too, doesn't that mean I belong with them? Then, why would Yumemon say that?' she wondered. "What-What do you mean master? Why should I not be with the Digidestined if I am too one of them?"   
  
"Deep inside you, you know why. Your memories, your past feelings, they all still haunt you I see. The answer is buried deep inside of them. And I see you will not fully decide on whether to continue to serve me or join them unless those feelings and memories have become clear. Do you wish for clarity Sora? Do you wish for me to bring it forth?"  
  
Sora quietly gasped shocked at Yumemon's unexpected question. "Can you really accomplish such a task master?" Sora asked stunned.  
  
"I am the master of this world and all its darkness! Of course I can accomplish this!" she declared proudly. Yumemon gracefully glided through the air to kneel down before her. Her face no longer showed any amusment, but instead, an unusual, frightfully serious expression lied across her face. "But the real question still remains.." Her voice was void of any playfulness or mischef as she once again spoke, asking the doubtful assassin " Are you really sure you want to see it?"  
  
  
  
"Man, it sure is boring..." Tai sighed.  
  
"Hm? I thought you would like the peace and quiet after such a hard battle Tai." Agumon commented.  
  
"Hmph, I would like a nice long sleep after a hard battle. Trust me, this peace and quiet isn't making things easier."  
  
"You don't want to fall asleep on your first watch Tai." Agumon reminded.  
  
"I know, I know.."  
  
They sat, staring into the dancing campfire before them as the night slowly rolled on. Tai poked into the dying embers, allowing the air to create more flames. He watched the fires rise up suddenly absentmindly, drifting mentally off into his sea of thoughts. Agumon's mention of the battle had somehow created a chain of continous questions about...everything. But, most especially to their new enemy. 'Sora...' Memories of a sweet, caring, energetic girl came to his head. Her kind smile.. Her warm eyes.... 'But it's not the same person that I once knew!' he thought frustrated. 'I can't believe this.. ever since Matt said she was Sora... all of these memories are coming back to me. I don't know if I should be happy that they're returning or sad that the one of those memories has changed! Why? Why did Sora have to be our enemy?! I rather take an army of thousands of evil Digimon than her!' he thought, a wave of confusion and regret flooding into his heart. 'But, I have no choice... do I?'  
  
"Tai?" a voice snapped him out into the cold night once again. "Are you okay?" Agumon asked, worried at the intense face upon his partner.  
  
"Uh,uh yeah Agumon." Tai assured, turning with a smile to his digimon. "I'm just fine."  
  
"You looked really serious and sad. Are you sure?"  
  
"Yeah, I'm sure." His laid-back expression quickly faded though as he suddenly caught a glimpse of a dark figure off the corner of his eye. "Huh?!" He quickly rose to his feet alert. Turning towards it, he stood ready to meet whatever it was. "Who's out there?!" he called out firmly.   
  
The flames of the fire brightened and enlighted the figure nearby The faint glow revealed that it was only Matt and his drowsy Gabumon standing in the dim darkness. "Oh, it's you Matt. Sheesh, what are you doing?" Tai asked annoyed, partially because he was still a little mad at Matt and partially because he scared him for nothing. "Couldn't trust me on my shift?"  
  
"Couldn't sleep." he replied, his tone matching that of Tai's annoyance.  
  
"Why? Scared of the dark?" Tai teased.  
  
Matt just ignored him though. "Look, I'm going for a walk okay? Later." Matt said, turning his back to him and walking off into the distance, followed closely by his digimon parter. Tai stood by, just watching him disappear into the darkness of the night.   
  
"Um, shouldn't we go after them Tai?" Agumon asked curiously.  
  
"Leave him. He's got Gabumon with him right? He'll be fine." Tai said, sitting back down to stare into the campfire once again. Agumon was a little reluctant to agree, but he clearly saw that Tai did not want to see Matt at the moment. So, he loyally set himself beside him, hoping that Tai was right about Matt and Gabumon.  
  
After wandering aimlessly, Matt had come to sit on a small hill that overlooked an empty, wide grassy plain. He had come upon it just beyond the trees of the forests, where the others camped. He silently watched the gently waving grass of the meadows below, softly pushed by the cool breezes that ran invisibly through the night. Gabumon looked up curiously at the stone-faced human that sat beside. He hasn't spoken to him since the battle. Gabumon slowly felt more and more concerned as time passed. The silence was unbearable. "Matt? Why did we come here?" he asked.  
  
"I need to think." he replied. "And I can't do that with Tai around."   
  
"Why did you get so mad at him before Matt?" Gabumon asked, bringing up the argument that they had before. Matt's eyes narrowed at the mention of it.  
  
"Because he was such a jerk." he said crossly.  
  
"Come on Matt, that can't be it. What's really bothering you?"  
  
Matt sighed, lowering his head, his eyes closed. A more serious and strange look came upon his face. It held a blend of frustration and saddness in it. "Do you remember what I said to you that one night at Gennai's house?"  
  
"Oh, do you mean when you woke up in the middle of the night and told me about that strange feeling you had after hearing about the other Digidestined?" Gabumon recalled. "You don't sleep well very much do you Matt?"   
  
"Not when there's so much going through my mind. That feeling... I understand it now. The longing to search for the others... and the doubt and fear... they've all become so clear now."  
  
"Really Matt? When did that happen?" Gabumon asked, anxious for his answer. Matt's expression became more hard and stern after his question, as if that strange feeling he described had returned and consumed him.  
  
"Ever since.. ever since I saw her again."   
  
"Do you mean that assassin?"   
  
"Sora. She was the one I wanted to look for.. the one my heart wanted so much to find, and at the same time didn't." Matt said in a regretful tone.  
  
Gabumon blinked his eyes in confusion. The same, baffled emotions he had felt before upon first hearing of these strange feelings came back to haunt him as well at Matt's words. "I-I don't understand what you mean Matt. You mean you want to be with her? Yet at the same time you seem.. uh, sad at the mention of it. If she makes you sad, then why would you want to be with her so much? I just don't know what you mean." Gabumon replied, confusing himself even more.  
  
"It's.. a little complicated." Matt said back to him.   
  
"Why do you feel so bad around her Matt? What caused you to feel this way? Or, do you not remember?" Gabumon asked.  
  
Matt sighed, trying to clear his emotions and thoughts. "I remember. But, it's sort of a long story." Matt warned, turning to his digimon partner. "Are you really sure you want to hear it?"   
  
Sora knelt speechless. 'What if what I see is not what I want to know? Still, I cannot keep going on like this. I must know or I may never succeed in serving my master.... or if I should join the Digidestined. Does my past hold some unknown secret inside of my heart that can decide my fate? But, am I really prepared to see what Yumemon is to show me?' she wondered nervously. She closed her eyes tightly, trying to fight the frustration building inside of her. She clenched the strange metallic object hidden beneath her hand. Taking a deep breath, she readied herself for her reply.   
  
"Yes," Sora said firmly, coming to stare up with a look of determination and fear upon her face. "Show me."  
  
Gabumon stared at the open fields before him, his face soon lowered, considering the seriousness of Matt's question. 'Should I really pry that much into him? Of course, he's my partner and friend! But, he looks so uncomfortable with this subject. What happens if he cannot handle what he has to tell me?' Gabumon sighed frustrated. 'Whatever happens, I will be there to comfort him.  
  
"Yes." Gabumon finally uttered to his Digidestined partner, his voice unshaken. "Tell me." 


End file.
